A Wandering Soul Precedes All Darkness
by Shadow Of Hyrule
Summary: Transformed by the evil of Majoras Mask, Link scours the land of Termina in hopes of restoring his form and vanquishing the rising villain known only as Skullkid. Aided by Dark Link and a new fairy, Link will find himself fighting time itself. YAOI. DL/L
1. Prologue I

A show of hands: How many expected to see this so quickly? ... no one? Me either! I probably shouldn't be posting just yet, but I'm impatient, and I have at least five chapters done. So if I update weekly... well, the waits shouldn't be _too _bad. Anyway, yes, this _is _YAOI. Again. As in, the sequel to _Imitation Is The Sincerest Form Of Flattery_. Dark LinkxLink, which is one of my favorite pairings! If you haven't heard of that story, then you need to report to my profile _pronto _and read that first! _-_winkwink-

Anywho, this story is basically Majoras Mask with as many twists and tom-foolery possible. Meaning, there's a lot that's going to be added to the story that never happened in the game/manga. I'm also putting everything I have into this, so expect a definite improvement from Imitation.

**Disclaimer: **The Legend of Zelda: Majoras Mask, does NOT belong to me. I am making no profit from this story, and I'm claiming nothing but the twists I produce from my own beautiful imagination.

**Warnings:** This story contains YAOIYAOIYAOI. Got it? If you don't like that, leave ASAP; Because, honestly, why waste your time flaming me when you can be searching for something better to read anyway? Plus, I don't appreciate someone wasting my time with facts I _already know_. I've been told before just how strange and or wrong YAOI is, and, frankly, I don't care. -Smiles- I have my opinions/likes/fetishes/etc. and you have yours. As for swearing, I do have a bit of a sailor streak in me, so the occasional swear _will _occur. As for smut, well, we'll see. -winkwink-

As for ages, shota isn't cool right? So Link and Dark Link are presently seventeen. There will be plenty of flashbacks to fill you in on what they did in the seven years you missed them, so no worries.

And with all that aside, assuming you actually read all that, haha, I'll let you get on with the story! -Smiles-

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A Wandering Soul Proceeds All Darkness  
_Prologue- Part One__  
_  
Drip, drip, drip, from cavernous ceiling to raging current. The mildewed passage rank of age and disuse, water pure but nearly stale even as it ran it's course. Ragged stone along its edge, somehow anything but smooth despite the ever present water caressing it's hide. Perhaps because of magic, more likely due to reasons better left undiscovered. A mystery better left unraveled. After all, this liquid road, the greatest secret of the Goddess' themselves, was the link between two worlds.

And here he stood, a figure so foreign and unfamiliar in this place.

Head dipped low to avoid an unusually low ceiling, back hunched and uncomfortable in this small space. Claustrophobia an underlying nerve nagging at the back of his mind. Yes, here he stood at the waters edge, at the flowing current of the River of Time. The passage between a world that existed, and one that did not. A world where all things unwanted, unreal, thrived.

So what did that make him to be here? Unreal, or unwanted?

Did it even matter?

One step, two, and he was ankle deep in the pool, wading into a current that immediately tugged at him, stronger than one could ever imagine from just looking at it from the surface. He would be pulled away most certainly, and yet he was not. The water dipped and tugged for another moment yet, and then stilled around him.

Alive. It seemed… alive.

But wasn't that what time was? A living essence that grew ever older, moved ever onward, and became more complex and important with every passing day?

It was tolerating him, his presence, and allowed him to wade further inwards until his knees were wet and he was turning, facing the darker part of the tunnel. In that direction lay what he was looking for, of that he was certain.

And he was looking for something, no, someone, so uncertain.

A certain uncertain someone who had had the _gall_, the _nerve_, to steal from _him_. From Majora himself…

_'Foolish little cretin. Only one being has ever possessed the power to use my mask. And that person himself is right here, trapped within mortal skin and filled to the brim with immortal soul.'_

He bit back the angry bile that rose within his throat, focusing instead on pacing down the current until he passed through the arching exit. Dark as an eclipse, not a single thread of light to guide him. But that was all right. Because he was nestled safely in the lifestream of the River of Time, and it would surely guide him. It held no loyalties after all; shifted to the will of no one.

He raised a hand to his brow, breathing deeply of the musky air, and when once again he opened his eyes, he found a swath of color unfolding before him. It shifted and grew, slithering along the walls of the tunnel with a serpentine air, nuzzling into cracks within the stone. The tunnel dipped, the water falling away beneath him, and he found himself falling through space, surrounded by nothing but a rainbow of jagged hues.

Air rushed up to meet him, smelling of unknown places and adventures yet to be unfolded. It wriggled through his hair and wound about his figure, passing almost through him on its journey upwards.

And when once again his feet found solid ground, the world had changed. Into what had never existed at all. A world whose fate had yet to be determined. A destiny meant to be crafted by his very hands, and yet was now placed upon the shoulders of a small, certain uncertain imp.

The very imp that had stolen his mask. Majoras Mask.

He fought another angry bout of fury and forced himself to straighten out his clothes, to smooth his hair back into place and to retrain his ever-tightening smile. And the color strengthened around him as he did so. And, like brushstrokes on a canvas, before him appeared an entirely new world.

A world that homed only one small, yet important town.  
Clocktown.

His feet upon grass now, the tunnel and the river disappearing underground, he began a steady pace towards the town lying in the distance.

And, as he did so, he only vaguely registered the fact that even though the sun was out and the sky was devoid of all stars and clouds, the moon was visible. Made even more alarming in that it was hanging very, very low in the stratosphere…


	2. Prologue II

The chapters are going to be shorter so I can update weekly. Because weekly updates are always better than waiting a whole month, right? Also, the first three parts are just prologues, and they're written in a slightly different style than the actual story. So just bare with me -winkwink-

**Disclaimer: **Legend of Zelda: Majoras Mask, does not belong to me. I'm making no money from this. Extra ideas and new concepts do belong to me, though.

**Warnings: **Mild Violent concepts?

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A Wandering Soul Proceeds All Darkness

_Prologue- Part Two _

Rustle, rustle, rustle, to and fro back and forth. Flimsy hat made of straw crackling and brisk with every sideways tilt. Hands holding tightly to gnarled wood, buried deep within a forest. Two spirits hovering all around him, worried expressions on their tiny faces. Change, they sensed change. They tried to speak, tried to warn him. Yet, were ignored, once again, as his head titled the opposite way, producing the prickling paper sound again and amusing him to no end.

'_An imp _would_ be amused by something so simple…'_

Trapped here, upon this face, upon this being whose innocence was anything but refreshing, only annoying and nauseatingly sweet. Stuck, it was stuck until the imp removed it. But he wouldn't. Not this treasure, not one he had gone to such trouble to _steal_.

This was bad. But not for it. No, certainly not.

Rage.

It felt it, bubbling and boiling. Felt it from the very fiber of it's being, which, amusingly, was also made of fibers. Fibrous, textured wood… A pulse then, a ripple effect that traveled through the dimensions themselves. It's other half was angry, seething at something or another. Something most certainly being the situation at hand, the loss of something so important.

'Me_, the other half is seething for the loss of _me_.'_

Something rose to stroke it's surface, scratch idly at smooth, expensive paint; to prod at decorative spikes and horns.

'_Infuriating little imp.'_

If it was stuck here, trapped upon this certain uncertain imp –_what had supplied those words?_- then it would make the best of the situation. Take advantage of the power and the freedom it had finally been given. Away from the more humane half, given the opportunity to finally reach out and do something. Something terrible…

The ringing of fairy voices, alarmed by something in the distance, and the imp was moving, shuffling along towards the darker shades of the forest.

'_Coward.'_

It would change that, though. Would change everything. Already it could feel the roots of a simple mind beginning to give way beneath its power. It wouldn't take long, not at all, to overthrow this little imp.

Of this it was certain.

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_Reviews Are Love!~_


	3. Prologue III

You may be upset with how short the first few updates have been. I'll reiterate that these first three parts are just prologues, and therefore, extremely short. This one itself is about 800 words only. The first chapter, which is next weeks update, will be over 5,000 words. So just bare with me one more chapter, I'm trying to pace myself so I can keep up with the updates. So next chapter, the real story begins! Look forward to it! -Smiles-

**Dis****claimer: **Legend of Zelda: Majoras Mask, does not belong to me. I'm making no profit from this. The extras and original concepts belong to me, though.

**Warnings:** Implied Yaoi.

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A Wandering Soul Proceeds All Darkness

_Prologue- Part Three_

Clop, clop, clop, hooves on solid, matted grass, pattering ever onwards towards an unknown point and location. Looming trees on both sides, from willows to cedars to cypress, and ferns. Reaching out with clawed and warped fingertips, snagging and catching at anything in its path. A sweltering hot sun high overhead, but invisible to them, the riders, due to a limitless canopy and the dismal darkness hanging all around them like a cloud.

_Them_ being the two Heroes of Time.

Link, whose prowess and power over evil had conquered the Dark Lord and returned peace to the land of Hyrule. He who was a man of bravery and immeasurable courage, whose headstrong way of fighting always ended in victory. He was not one to be underestimated, looked down upon, or cast aside. Complete with the soul of the purest materials; light and honey and stardust. Link was a true Hero, and a great one at that. The shining side of a two-sided mirror.

Because everyone has a dark side, like it or not.

And that is where Dark Link comes in.

Dark Link, whose isolated past and raw strength aided Link in an adventure one could never undertake all by their lonesome. He was a man of cocky, windswept attitude, whose sarcastic, overconfident ways had gotten him into trouble many a time. His appearance, depicting a creature of hell and death with his ruby red eyes and midnight black tunic, made him a man that was never underestimated, simply because most feared him. And with good reason, for whoever happened to look at him in a way he found belittling soon found themselves with a very sharp, very cold blade pressed against their neck. Dark was the cruel, eclipsed side of the mirror, of the coin that made up the two warriors.

And that's just it. He _was_. They _were_.

Their exploits, the adventures they had ventured upon, all the people they had met and saved and all the scars they had received… All of that had never happened.

You see, seven years ago, in a Hyrule that did not remember them- Or did it? The two had never quite figured it out- a great war had been waged. Both sides had fought tooth and nail for more than seventeen years. Ganon, the villain, had sent wave after wave of hell spawn monsters to overthrow the Hylian forces, the Guards of the Royal Family, and the Sheikah people. The forces of good, however, could never have been enough. It was not their destiny to defeat the evil King after all. Dark and Link had fought him together, Link dealing the final blow. And when the fight had reached its completion and the beastly villain had met his supposed end, the Princess, Zelda, sent the two warriors back to relive the time they had lost. Because, in order for Link to truly fulfill his destiny, he had to leave his childhood behind and mature into a man. But, for fear of losing him in some fatal accident or mishap, the sages had put him to sleep and sealed him within the Temple of Time, a place they knew his body could lay and age in safety.

And such pains it had cost him…

Yet that was also a thing of the past, and now nothing more than a figment of his imagination. Link had gotten his seven years back, and lived them to the very fullest. But he was an adult now, and ready to begin a new saga in his life. One with Dark Link at his side.

So they'd left, just as the newest prophecy had foretold. Left the home they had crafted for themselves and ventured to this corner of the land, hoping that by breaking through they could find something new, something uncharted. There, at the border of Hyrule, they had found a forest whose air hung with the taste of mystery and secrets. With little hesitation, and even less fear, they had breached the thickets and taken their first steps into the newest chapter of their lives.

And even though they had little clue as to where it would lead them, or what is was that awaited them on the other side, they were ready for it.

Because they would be facing it together.

* * *

_-Sneak Peak of Chapter One-_

_'What in the name of Din?'_

_It was wearing a mask, whatever it was. Although, Dark pondered, if the creature was wearing a mask to cover up an ugly face, it wasn't really doing much to help itself._

_Staring back at him were the widest eyes he'd ever seen. The mask was painted a range of colors from the deepest purple to the lightest yellow. The pupils within were a startling emerald green. Atop its face protruded two horns, and on either side, like a set of whiskers, four more arranged in a neat line. And even though some part of him was thinking it should have been comical, he felt nothing but fear as he returned the creature's gaze. _

_"Alright now, just step away slowly and I won't have to hurt you." Blunt, of course, but that was his style. Undaunted, the creature twitched a bit to the side, its flimsy hat producing a paper-like sound. It was the rustling he'd heard before, Dark realized. Ever so slowly, the tiny thing reached back down, its hands searching and insistant. A heartbeat or two later, it straightened up, feet shifting. And, before Dark could act, the critter was darting away with the Ocarina of Time firmly in hand._

Reviews Are Love!~


	4. I

Having a lot of RL problems right now, and the only things that make me feel better are Robot Unicorn Attack and this story. So I've been writing like crazy, and I'm happy to present to you the REAL beginning of _A Wandering Soul Proceeds All Darkness_. With the prologue out of the way, we can get on with the actual story! You'll get some of the things you remember from the game, but you'll be getting a lot more that comes from my own imagination. Wondering what I mean? Haha, you'll see soon enough. -Wink- Enjoy!~

**Disclaimer:** Legend of Zelda: Majoras Mask, does not, and will not, belong to me.

**Warnings:** Swearing, implied yaoi, violence.

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**A Wandering Soul Proceeds All Darkness**

_**Chapter - I**_

_**Title - To Offend the Offender**_

* * *

Knobby horse knees getting tangled for one fleeting, startling moment, and Dark was tossed forward, Links hands scrabbling for his ebony tunic to keep him aboard. Epona, the horse whose will could not ignore the call of the Ocarina, steadied herself, righting legs that were far too shaky. Dark gave a huff of annoyance, pulled himself away from her sweaty neck, and gave a jaunty rap of the reigns.

"Watch it, horse. I don't feel like breaking my neck today."

Epona snorted.

Link settled his arms back around the Shadows waist, his back pressed so tightly against the other man he could feel the steady thump, thump, thump of a strong heart and loyal blood. Chin finding a soft spot on the other mans shoulder, Link fell into a calm, drowsy silence. Dark could only chuckle at him as he slapped the reigns again.

'_He's lucky my hands are busy…'_

Because, honestly, there was nothing cuter than a Hero acting like a newborn pup.

Ducking to avoid a particularly low rack of branches, Dark let his mind wander and allowed Epona to pick her way through the forest on her own. Drifting in the air were dozens of tiny fireflies, each looking to be a shooting star as they buzzed about. If it had been Kokiri Forest they were trekking through, the air would have been filled with fairies. Be they on errands or visiting with their kin. The Shadow could remember spending nights atop the squat Kokiri buildings, watching the creatures patter about with Link yawning at his side. A lightning bug landed upon the bridge of his nose, and Dark huffed to relieve himself of it and the itch it created as it dawdled across his pale skin. It flashed angrily at him as it scurried away, taking flight to escape the troublesome resting place. He watched it go, his nose wiggling a bit to replace the unnatural feeling the bug had left with one more familiar.

A patch of sunlight that had managed to break through the canopy of the trees passed over him, warming his hair and leaving him feeling pleasantly content. Yawning, Dark was reminded of just how tired he was, and how early they had left that morning. It was to escape the questions and sad, quivering lips they would have had to face had they left midday when everyone was awake and tottering around the village. Link had mumbled something about déjà vu, launching into the story of the first time he'd left the Kokiri Forest as a child.

His best friend, the one who was now a sage and had been known as Saria of the Kokiri, had been waiting for him, ready to bestow upon him his first ocarina. One he had later lost to Ganon. This he had said with shining eyes, the memory obviously one that still pained him.

'_I lost her most precious treasure.'_ Link had said. _'And then I just replaced it, just like that. Like it meant nothing at all.'_

'_Wasn't your fault.'_ Dark had grumbled, his hand ruffling the blonds flaxen hair. _'Besides, I don't think Saria minded much. After all, if you had continued using hers, you never would have been able to do all that Temple warping. Can you imagine all the extra walking? Yikes.'_

'_Yeah… point taken.' _Link had chuckled, and then the conversation had ended, memories of Saria stowed away once again.

And yet, it was curious how, when the two had been sent back in time, everything they had had on their persons had disappeared. All, most curiously, except for the Ocarina of Time and the Shadow of the Master Sword. Link had grumbled most about that fact as he had gone about finding a new blade for himself. He had mentioned a few times that he'd just simplify things and steal his rightful blade from the inner sanctum of the Temple of Time. But that very same day, only minutes after he had uttered the threat aloud, a fierce storm had sent all the children of the forest running for their homes, and the raging winds and pelting rain had lasted for days on end until Link had finally swore angrily and shouted to the heavens, _'I was only joking! The sword can stay!' _

So Link had found a new weapon and Dark had snickered all the while, his own copy of the Master Sword firmly in hand.

But at least the Hero had kept his Ocarina.

Not that they really needed it anymore.

A cold wind swept over the forest floor, sending leaves astray from the path and sending a violent tremor up Epona's spine.

Dark paid it no heed.

And that's when the trouble began.

He heard it before he saw it, the tinkling chime of fairies that did not belong in this part of the world. His hand had only just grasped the hilt of his sword, and Links bleary eyes had only just opened as the creatures appeared. And where the Shadow had expected it, Epona had not, and her usually skittish nature sent her into a fearsome buck as the two fairies crowded her face, jeering and taunting in the melody of bells.

Link was thrown off first, his back colliding sharply with the ground, and furthermore, the root of a tree. He only just remained conscious, and when Dark fell atop him, even that was lost.

"Dammit Epona!" Dark screeched as he rolled off the Hero and unsheathed his sword. The fairies had disappeared, and Epona was still shaking nervously, sweat matting her mane and her eyes wild. She shook her head and keened lowly, wary of the tricky little creatures that were lurking somewhere nearby.

He listened as well, his steps well-placed to avoid unnecessary noise, that way he could keep his position a secret from any foe who happened to be traveling with the fairies. They had a tendency, after all, to never venture by their lonesome. Pointed ears straining and focused, he was able to hear all the hidden sounds of the forest, although by this point, anything that lived within this area had fallen silent. Except, it seemed, for one creature in particular. Dark couldn't tell what it was, or even if it was friendly, but amidst the quiet rush of the wind he could hear a very peculiar rustling noise, one he had never heard before and could not place.

It seemed, for a moment, to be coming from all sides, and Dark circled until he pinpointed its location, which, unfortunately, was right behind him. Spinning on his heel he took in the sight before him, the sight that looked dangerously like someone running their hands all over _his_ Hero.

Either that, or the creature, whatever it was, was pick-pocketing him.

"Oi! Get away from him, you little pest!"

Darting forward, sword aimed to kill, Dark made to slice the creature in half, but stopped short when the being raised its head.

'_What in the name of Din?'_

It was wearing a mask, whatever it was. Although, Dark pondered, if the thing was wearing a mask to cover up an ugly face, it wasn't really doing much to help itself.

Staring back at him were the widest eyes he'd ever seen. And even though some part of him was thinking it should have been comical, he felt nothing but fear as he return the creature's gaze. The mask was painted a range of colors from the deepest purple to the lightest yellow. The pupils within the eyes were a startling emerald green. Atop its face protruded two horns, and on either side, like a set of whiskers, four more were arranged in a neat line.

"Alright now, just step away slowly and I won't have to hurt you." Blunt, of course, but that was his style. Undaunted, the creature twitched a bit to the side, its flimsy hat producing a paper-like sound. It was the rustling he'd heard before. Ever so slowly, the tiny thing reached back down, its hands finding what it was looking for, and before Dark could act, the critter was darting away, the Ocarina of Time grasped firmly in hand.

Dark charged, a battle cry searing his lips. Link loved that instrument! He would never forgive himself if he let someone make off with it.

The creature took off into the brush, leading him in circles as it tried to shake him. Springing up into the tree branches, it took great leaps from branch to branch, nearly losing him at one point when it scurried up the bark and into the thicker leaves of the tree. Dark skidded to a halt, head craned back to peer up into the shady branches. Silence fell upon the forest, and then suddenly the creature was on the move, its brilliant plan to escape consisting of throwing itself from tree to tree. Dark pursued, and when the being jumped into a particularly small, thin tree, Dark slashed at the bark, cleaving it in two and sending the critter crashing to the ground.

"Ha! Finally caught you."

Towering over the little beastie, Dark reached down and snatched the Ocarina from it's trembling hands. He tossed it up once, twice, and then tucked it into the folds of his tunic. That done, he scowled at the cowering creature beneath him. It would have been pathetic if its mask didn't throw him off so much. Those eyes were just too creepy.

"I'm feeling generous today, and since no one got seriously hurt, I'll let you go with a warning." Before the creature could act, Dark swung the sword in his hand in a great arc. Squealing, it rolled away and crawled off into the underbrush. Dark watched it go, then chuckled.

"Gets them every time."

Pausing to take his surroundings in, Dark backtracked, making his way back to where Link still lay, groaning, on the ground. Dark hurried over to him, taking one of his hands in his own and pulling him up as slowly and gently as he could. Link used his free hand to wipe away the dirt and sweat from his brow, and then blinked.

"What happened? Did we get mugged?"

"Yeah… Kinda… You did at least."

"I did?" Surprised, Link looked down to the belt at his waist, taking in the various pouches and bobbles he had tied there, then peered over his shoulder to see if his blade was still there. "It doesn't look like I'm missing anything."

"Oh really? Then I guess I shouldn't have gone to all the trouble of getting _this_ back for you." Dark produced the Ocarina of Time from his tunic, handing it to the gaping Hero at his side.

"They tried to steal my Ocarina?" Hugging it close to himself, Dark half expected link to start kissing it possessively. What a weird guy he was sometimes…

"You bet they did. But I showed him who was boss. I don't think he'll be coming back for more anytime soon." Hands at his waist, Dark let himself smile smugly. But when he peeked to make sure Link was basking in his heroic warmth, he saw that the blond was fixated on something over his shoulder.

"That wouldn't happen to be the thief, would it? Because it looks a lot like he's trying to steal my horse! Epona!" Link flew after the escaping thief and the whinnying horse. An eerie giggle filled the air, and Dark could see that the creature before was sitting atop Epona, two glowing fairies holding tight to the spikes on its mask.

"Catch me if you can!" He heard, and Dark growled. This guy was really starting to grate on his nerves.

So he ran, his strides long and powerful as he raced after the escapees and Link, who was already close enough to reach out and grab a hold of the leathery ends of Epona's saddle. She was running too fast though, and link refused to release his hold, leading him to lose his footing. He was dragged over uneven ground and painful stones and twigs, incapable of doing much else as the horse ran in fleeing panic.

Dark did the only thing he could do in this bizarre situation: he ran faster. They had quite a head start on him, and he wasn't as fast as he'd have liked to be, but he didn't have to be. Epona gave a furious snarl and leaped to buck the intruder upon her off and away, but instead she only managed to make Link lose his grip. He fell in a boneless slump to the forest floor, Epona's hooves throwing dirt back over him as she galloped on.

Stopping at his side, Dark heaved Link onto his feet, patting his face to make his eyes stop rolling in their sockets.

"Geez, knocked you for quite a loop, didn't he? Although, you were the stupid one here. What did you think you were doing grabbing her _legs_, for Din's sake?"

"Trying to slow her down?"

"Smart Link, real smart."

They stood in a hurry, hurling into a sprint to make after the galloping horse and the thief upon her back. The forest surged beside them, wavering in the darkness at the force of evil. The two warriors weren't able to sense it at this point, the strength of the mask the strange creature was wearing. It was an evil they would soon come to know quite well, however. One that would possibly be their very undoing.

The trees could sense this, the fireflies scampering back to their knothole homes could sense it, and the goddesses overheard could only watch as the previous Heroes of Time ran towards their new destiny's.

There was a cave perched high overhead, etched into a cliff face with a wide, abysmally yawning mouth. Link stared up at it in awe, noting the hollow howl coming from deep within. He shivered as a dark wind swept up around his ankles, and clasped his arms around himself.

"I don't think Epona could have gotten in there. I mean, it's not like she can fly."

Dark nodded. "True, but just look, there's no where else to go. It's a dead end."

Link raised an eyebrow at him, indeed aware of the dead end and the thick flora that forbid further entry into the forest. The cliff face halting all procession as well. "So you're saying you think she _did_ fly up there."

"Maybe I am. I mean, we've seen stranger things, haven't we?" He chuckled to himself, his hand finding Links. "C'mon, let's go look. If we don't find Epona, then we'll just have to backtrack and see if we missed some secret passage or something on the way here. And when we do, if that _things_ still with her, I'm going to beat him to a bloody pulp!"

"Me and you both." Link growled. "No one who steals Epona, my Ocarina, _and_ my time gets off lightly!"

"Glad to see you in the fighting spirit." Dark grinned. "It's been too long since we last had a _real_ fight."

With the help of conveniently placed trees and stumps before the cliff face, scaling the mountain was an easy feat. Before long both Heroes found themselves standing within the caves open mouth, their hair sent flying with every puff of air from inside. It was like the mountain was alive. Like it was _breathing_. The rock tended to crumble if one stood too long in one place, though, leading Link to believe that this place had not seen and sign of life in a very long time indeed. He peered about in the dark, his eyes finding what looked mysteriously like a hoof print. He dropped to his knee to run a couple fingers over and into the imprint, dust and dewy grass grazing his fingertip.

"I can't believe it, but she really was here."

"Well whaddya' know." Dark chortled. "Epona can fly after. That's sure to come in handy later on, after we've saved her."

"You know," Link said shortly, his legs straightening as he stood, hands clenched into fists. "I really doubt she's the one with the ability to fly. Maybe the _'thing'_ we're chasing is something we should be a little more worried about."

"Just trying to lighten the mood a bit." Dark grumbled. "But all humor aside, be careful, Link. It's dark in here, so stay close."

Link waved him off, already darting off into the cave. "Yeah, yeah, I'll be careful. You're the one who needs to - Agh!"

"Link?" Feet flying, smacking on rock, Dark dashed after his Hero to see what had elicited the sound of panic. He was only five steps into the cavern when the toe of his right boot hit open air, his heel propped up on the rock, and Dark reeled back to keep himself upright, to prevent a sure fatal fall. Unfortunately, as he looked around and found nothing but empty cavern, a high ceiling, and a mighty fall, Dark realized that Link hadn't been able to stop where the rock fell away. Cupping his hands around his mouth, sucking in a deep breath, he shouted, "Link? Are you down there?" Pausing, waiting for a reply, he cupped a hand against his ear, waited, fought a strong updraft, then cupped his mouth and called again. "Link? You okay?"

'_Oh, Din. He really _did _fall. And for all I know, he's lying in a crippled, dead heap somewhere! Even worse, what if he was _still _falling?' _Wringing his hands in his hair, Dark took a shaky breath. _'Where does Link get off on telling _me _to be careful when he himself rushes off into danger without a second thought?"_

Dark dug a thumb into his temple, soothing away a growing headache. And, it seemed, in this situation, there was really nothing else for him to do.

That is to say, nothing left to do but jump as well, and see just where this bottomless pit led.

"If I die, Link, I'm going to haunt you. Wherever it is you are…"

Taking a few steps back, back to the wall, Dark collected himself, pulse rising, then dashed towards the precipice. At the edge he had to force himself to keep going, to fight back the instinctual urge to hang on and pinwheel away. Instead he kept going, throwing himself into the air, and for a breathless moment he hovered there, suspended in nothingness, only to fall away and into the unknown.

Honestly, though, what lay at the bottom didn't matter. Be it death itself, Dark didn't mind. If Link was already gone, then there was already nothing left for him in the world of the living.

Dark rolled in midair, nose aimed downward in a dizzying dive. There was no sign of life thus far, just craggy rock wall and the occasional vine. Fleetingly, he wondered if he could stop his descent by grasping he passing creepers. But he dismissed the thought, not willing to risk ruined gloves and burned palms. They would surely snap, anyway.

A few minutes passed, marked only by the wind in his hair and the blood rushing in his ears. Dark began to wonder if this pit really _was_ endless, and the sudden spark of color only a few feet to his right sent him flying to the side in a panic. What was that? He cast around, looking for something that could have conjured the spark of energy, and when another went off only a few inches from his nose, Dark let out a cry of surprise.

"Who's doing that?" Rolling in midair, he managed to look behind him, upwards, where he'd already passed through the vertical tunnel. Nothing, and more importantly, no one, was there.

Another spark, followed by two immediate others, and Dark could only watch as the flesh of the tunnel blossomed, transforming into a symphony of color and texture. Rippling and twisting, one hue over another, the very air he was flying through seemed to warp, bending over him in a sickening swirl. Dark watched, transfixed, and then suddenly the concert stopped, the tunnel ending with it, and he found himself suspended over grass. He blinked, confused, as he was set oh-so-gently upon the ground, feet wobbling only slightly as he settled.

He was still in a cave. Surrounded by rock and dewy grass, vines, and creepers. Dark cast around in hopes of lighting upon a golden head of hair, a flash of green, a hint of blue. But he was alone, trapped within a cave in a place he'd never been before.

A sound above him caught his attention, and Dark looked up just as a rift in the sky began to close. Through it he could see the tunnel he had traveled through, and the Shadow realized that not only had he just jumped off a _cliff_, but he'd also ended up in some strange, new place. A different dimension, a different timeline, a new _world_, even. He had no clue. And more pressing, he had no clue if Link was here as well, in this same place. What if the tunnel emptied in more than one area? What if he'd been separated from his Hero for forever?

Dark didn't stay to find out. He ran as fast as his feet would take him, straight into the rocky path and the darkness beyond.

* * *

"_Just trying to lighten the mood a bit." Dark grumbled. "But all humor aside, be careful, Link. It's dark in here, so stay close."_

_Link waved him off, already darting into the cave. "Yeah, yeah, I'll be careful. You're the one who needs to - Agh!"_

"_Link?"_

Yes, this had to be one of his greatest moments of absolute _failure_.

He'd fallen head over heels, nose-diving right over the edge of a cliff shrouded in darkness. One second he'd been in righteous pursuit and the next he'd been a flailing mess, eyes open as wide as possible to filter in as much light as possible.

"_Dark? Help!"_ He'd shouted at the top of his lungs, unsure if his voice would carry far enough. How fast was he falling anyway? How far could his cry possibly travel? Lost in the shadows, absolutely terrified of what waited at the bottom of this fall, Link could do nothing but wait until he (smashed into?) reached the end of this downwards slide.

The cold and rush of the wind he'd expected, though. What he hadn't was the flashes of color and the sickening warping feeling in his stomach as he fell. And just as soon as it reached an overwhelming high, it was over and the ground was beneath his feet. Link had collapsed and gripped the sweet, sweet blades of green between his fingers, happier to see the ground than he'd ever been before.

He didn't kiss it though. Link wasn't _that_ happy.

In fact, he was kind of annoyed. That morning he'd set out with Dark, the two deeming this day quite a good one to start a new journey outside of the Kokiri Woods. They'd waited the seven years, living out proper childhoods devoid of monsters and magic, lives free of stress and worry. It had been different, it had been nice. It was everything Link had ever wanted, and everything Dark had missed. But they could only stay so long. They aged, after all, unlike all the other children.

So they left. This morning, to be exact, just as the sun was rising over the canopy of the thick trees surrounding the village. With nothing but Epona and the gear on their backs they'd set out, unsure of what they'd find, and eager to explore.

And now look at what he'd found…

A cave, devoid of life, sitting at the bottom of a fall no human could survive without miracle. That's what the colors had been, he reasoned. A miracle of the Goddesses. No matter what anyone told him, that's what he would believe it to be. So with a firm nod of his head he'd set off, figuring that the best course of action at this point would be to venture in and poke around for the exit.

He wondered where Dark was, though…

"Oh, man… He's going to kill me when he catches up." Link paused, his foot arched over a large stone and his hand grasping the rock wall for balance. _Would_ Dark catch up? Were they even in the same place? Would Dark be crazy enough to come after him, knowing that there was something dangerous within the cave?

"Psh, of course he would. Dark's the craziest guy I've ever known. He'd probably jump off a cliff just to say he did."

'_Plus, he loves me.'_ Link added to himself, too embarrassed to speak the words aloud to this seemingly empty cave, worried that hidden away within its depths the creature from before lurk. Or a creature of come other sort. The dangerous sort, mind you.

Grumbling to himself, feeling pathetic in the fumbling shadows, Link let his mind wander. His consciousness brushed across the memories of Dark Link and the life he had lived with him, the love and the relationship they had forged. And for just the slightest of seconds, an old worry arose. One of fear of a relationship too brotherly, or one too close to that of a good friend. He quashed it though, knowing he was worrying for nothing. Their relationship for the past seven years _had_ been quite the platonic one, but Dark had told him nearly twice a day that he loved him, determined to keep the feeling going as they waited for adulthood. And Link was glad that even with the familiarity, and the years of innocent childhood, he hadn't stopped loving Dark. He doubted he ever could, honestly, with all that they had been through.

A smile had begun to grow upon his face, pleasant and warm within this cold cave, but then his boot sloshed into a deep puddle, and the only expression upon him was one of annoyance.

"Stupid water. Stupid cave. Stupid thief. I'm having a serious water temple flashback, here." A flashback that shouldn't exist, he reminded himself.

'_Maybe it would have been better if Zelda had wiped my memories, too. I should have asked her, but I was scared… What if Dark was wiped away, too?'_

And with that thought another nagging question was brought to light. What had happened to the Princess? Was she okay now? Had she found someone else to bequeath her feelings and emotions upon? All these thoughts festered and boiled before him, making Link want to smash his head against something. It didn't help that they were virtually unanswerable.

"Agh, where's Dark when you need him? He always has something interesting to distract me with."

Dark always did have a liking for that which was interesting, after all. A wonder for all that was strange, and everything that was odd. Link couldn't count the times Dark had asked him some random, startling question from out of the blue. It was always something that Link found mundane or just plain weird, yet Dark had a strange predilection towards all of it.

"_Why is the moon round? Why have homes, and buildings? Who made them in the first place? Do you think the sun is lonely up there?"_

In all actuality, it was quite a childish mind that Dark seemed to have. And, honestly, Link found it refreshing.

Finding himself in a new room, one illuminated by what appeared to be glowworms from far above, Link realized that just the thought of his Shadow partner had distracted him, had kept him moving and kept the hope for an exit burning within him. Link chuckled to himself, amused, and then stopped dead in his tracks.

A sound only a few feet away had startled him, sounding of the rustle of fabric and the harshness of parchment. Link didn't even have time to wonder as to what it was, because the origin of the noise stood, no, _floated_, right before him.

Dark had distracted him a little too much.

* * *

He'd been walking for at least ten minutes now and seen little to nothing that hinted at his Heroes presence. Not that he'd looked too hard. Not that he _could_ look too hard. The cave he was within was bleak and darker than his own tunic, the rocks rolling about its floor tripping him at all opportunities. Dark had fallen more times than he'd like to admit, his usually calm demeanor frazzled by the loss of Link. A cleft in the rock caught his boot, and the Shadow only just caught himself as he fell, his hair brushing the rubble as he settled.

"This is ridiculous. Why'd the tunnel have to drop me here of all places?" Growling, sweat dripping down his temple, Dark cupped his mouth and shouted, "Link?" His hand immediately flying to his ear to filter in as much sound as possibly, straining for a reply. When none came, Dark huffed in defeat, his boots scraping once again over pebbles and debris as he continued on into the cave.

'_You're gonna get it when I find you, blondie.'_ Consumed by thoughts of possible 'revenge' and 'punishment', Dark didn't even notice when he found himself within a dimly lit chamber. He blinked in surprise as he came face to face with a hovering purple orb of light, confusion written across his face.

"Uh-oh, Tatl, Skullkid, we've got a problem."

"Another one? Seriously?"

Dark balked, his personal space suddenly invaded by one raging ball of golden light. It was anything but warm, and the Shadow halted his procession as he stared dumbly up at the creatures above him.

"Fairies?"

"Yeah?" The golden one scoffed. "What of it? What are you doing here?"

"Are you here with the Deku Scrub?" The purple on interjected, it's boyish voice excited compared to that of the chortling golden fairy.

"Deku Scrub?"

"Yeah, you know. Kinda short, made of wood, makes annoying sounds when they're mad, sad, or, well, anything, really."

The golden fairy bumped harshly into the purple one, silencing him as she glowed so brightly she appeared red.

"You talk too much Tael, you're going to get us in trouble."

"Oh, I'm just trying to educate him a bit, there's nothing wrong with that. What do you mean by trouble, anyway?"

Dark skirted around the two creatures as they began to bicker back and forth. He was worried for Link, and concerned about what he'd just heard. A Deku Scrub? What did something like that have to do with _his_ Link?

The room was small and there was plenty of light, so he didn't have to search far before he found out just exactly what the two were talking about. Standing in the center of the room was a tiny, washed out looking Deku Scrub. It was smaller than the usual kind, and whimpering as it stared in… well, he couldn't really tell, honestly. All of them looked the same to him, and just was the case with this one as well. Save for it's empty, forlorn eyes and quivering voice, it seemed to be nothing but a regular Deku Scrub.

It seemed to notice him then, it's eyes turning up for the briefest of moments in what looked to be an expression of surprise. But they quickly fell once again, taking on the look of a kicked puppy. It wailed and thrashed its way over to him, grasping his leg as it shuddered in a frightful show of tears.

"Um, nice to see you, too? Little Deku Scrub?"

Wailing, sobbing against his leg, the Deku looked up at him, its little hands grasping his trouser leg.

"Oh, Dark! It's me! Look at what they've done to me!"

Ruby eyes opened to impossible widths, Dark blinked down at the shuddering little creature, struck dumb for a moment. He reached up ever so slowly, dug his pinky finger into his ear, then leaned over so he could look the little beastie in the eye.

"Could you repeat that?"

* * *

Remember readers, my profile page always has the release date of the next chapter on it. So feel free to stop by and check it out.

_Reviews Are Love!~_


	5. II

**You should probably read this. **Alright, so school started (I'm a Junior, yay!) and I'm incredibly busy. I have a bit of the next chapter, and should have it finished by next Saturday, which is my update day if you haven't already noticed. BUT, I'm thinking about switching update days to Mondays instead. That way I'll have more time to think/write and so that we'll all have something nice to start the week off with. Just a thought, we'll see how this week goes and then I'll let you all know with the next chapter. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** Legend of Zelda is NOT mine. Creative plot devices that weren't in the games, however, are. You'll see what I mean when you read this chapter. And, hopefully, you'll like what I did.

**Warnings:** Violence, mild language, implied YAOI. Weirdness!~

* * *

**A Wandering Soul Proceeds All Darkness**

_**Chapter – II**_

_**Title – Transform the Unknown**_

* * *

Wailing, tiny hands wringing at Darks trousers, the Deku Scrub did as such, "It's me! Link! He turned me into a Deku, it's _horrible_!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait just a minute here! You're Link? _My_ Link?" When he received a nod, Dark scooped the Deku up by his underarms, pulling him close. "Who did this to you? How?" He gave the scrub, _Link_, a shake, only just noticing the mans trademark hat upon the scrubs head.

"I don't know! I didn't do anything to provoke him, I just asked him where Epona was, and I admit I might have yelled and thrashed around a little but still, he just freaked out on me. Started shouting about how it hurt and telling someone to shut up… It was really confusing and weird!"

Laughter filled the cavern, cold as ice and malicious as a snake on the prowl. The glowworms overhead shuddered as well, undulating in fear and sending the room into various shades of gloom. Dark and, he winced, _Deku_ Link, looked to the far end of the room where a small figure lay sideways in the open air.

"You should see your faces!" The creature Dark had chased earlier squealed in delight, it's body twirling in the air as it clutched it's stomach against the bubbling, fitful laughter. "You two look so pathetic!"

Dark growled, clutching Link to himself as the creature continued to laugh. The fairies, while they seemed acquainted with it, appeared uneasy as they flitted about. The purple one let a few tense bouts of laughter slip from his own lips, however, just to feel involved. When at last the laughter stopped and the cavern became quiet, the creature did a little twirl and landed firmly on his feet. The eyes on his mask were pointed fixedly on Dark, sending a chill up his spine.

"I hope you like him. Because I won't be turning him back anytime soon." His voice was little more than a whisper, completely serious and calm as can be. Dark stared back at him, wanting to run and hide and sob all at the same time. He decided to do none of the three, and instead set Link down, his hand reaching for the sword upon his back.

"I'm afraid you don't have much choice in the matter. Now, change Link back before I do something that only _you_ will regret. And while we're at it, tell me where you hid Epona!"

"Epona? Epona…" Head turning this way and that, the paper hat atop its head crinkling, the creature shrugged. "Never heard of an Ee-poe-na." It giggled, put a hand on it's hip, and sighed. "But if you're talking about that big, running thing, I got rid of it. Stupid animal wouldn't do a thing I said!"

"Y-you got rid of her? How could you just get rid of her? She didn't belong to you!" Link growled, but even Dark had to admit it was anything but threatening. "You better be glad I can't use my sword right now, or I'd teach you what happens to thieves who mess with innocent peoples things!"

The creature stared at him, yellow eyes cold, then scoffed from behind the mask. Something in it's demeanor changed, darkened, somehow, and it raised a gnarled hand. "You're in no position to be threatening me. I'm more powerful than you could ever believe, and in that form, there's nothing you could ever do to harm me. Sword or no sword, you're _weak_." It's words, spoken like venom, made Dark even angrier than he had been before.

"How dare you talk to Link like that!" He looked down at the scrub, then stepped in front of him, shielding him from any and all danger. "I'll make you pay. With your life!" And then he charged, his sword held high in reckless abandon. The blade drained what little light remained in the room and glowed dimly, power charging within its shadowy core. He slashed in a swift, downward stroke, intending to split the creatures creepy mask in two, but his sword collided instead with stone, and Dark was left standing, utterly alone. He straightened quickly, sword at the ready, and found himself looking up at the creature before him.

"Brave, aren't you?" It whispered. "But annoying, too. Rushing headfirst into the fray, even when you're at a complete disadvantage."

"Cocky bastard." Dark growled. But the creature only laughed at him, a deeper, maniacal chuckle unlike the annoyingly playful one from before.

"The scrub was just practice, but for you, I've got something special in mind. You are strange, that I can see just from looking at you. An enigma, most certainly. Tell me, have you ever heard of the Keaton race?" When all he received was a deadly glare, the creature sighed. "Guess you're not as intelligent as I thought. Oh, well. You'll find out soon enough…" It raised it's hands high, and Dark was forced to his knees as the creatures shrill, piercing voice filled the cavern.

It was nauseating, to say the least. Darks stomach did cartwheels as he clawed at his ears, trying to block out the horrible scream. His throat tightened, working against him and choking off his air supply. A horrible dread filled him as his skin began to tighten, and Dark feared for his life itself. Vaguely he could hear Link calling his name, and only then was he able to push back at the magic enfolding him. It was too late, however, as he found himself splitting at the seams, his body and soul separating.

His first thought was how very cold it was, and how little he felt. Like all his emotions had suddenly been discarded, and this cold, empty shell was all he had left. The room darkened around him, and an eerie howl alerted him to a presence from behind. Turning, he found before him a fox-like figure, it's three tails thrashing wildly. Feral, angry, it charged him, taking hold of his throat and clawing at the place where his heart lay.

'_Oh, shit! This is how it's going to end? My throat being torn out by a stupid fox?'_

He clenched his ruby eyes against the pain, his hands groping at any vulnerable place it could find on the animal. Eyes, throat, belly, he scratched and kicked against this creature, trying to throw it off.

'_Struggle, struggle, all you want. You can never win, I'm stronger than you. You're _weak_!'_

Teeth at his throat, the letting of blood, and suddenly the world blossomed around him, pain and emotion filling him as his soul quivered, adjusting to his body. Dark panted, heart pounding fast in his throat, and he slumped to the floor in exhaustion. What had that been? What had happened?

"Ah, this body certainly suits you better than your old one."

'_What?'_

He started at once, his body coiling uselessly as he tried to stand. But his legs wouldn't respond… not _correctly_, at least.

"Oh, Din, of Goddess, what have you done to me?"

He was _yellow_, for Din's sake! Yellow! His body was that of some sort of canine, sleek and yellow as it ended in three pointed tails, each topped at the end with a splash of jet black fur. He rolled in a futile effort to raise, and then settled for looking down at his small, padded feet. Four, four legs. Dark wobbled as he tried to stand, each leg attempting to balance the same amount of weight. It worked for a few seconds, but the feeling of triumph soon left him as he realized just what had happened to him. He collapsed again.

"You bastard! I'll kill you! I'll tear your head off and make your fairies eat it!"

Link, now at his side, small and scrub-like and shuddering in anger, stared up at the villain as well. "We'll both kill you, just you wait. Face it, we'll hunt you down no matter what, and you know it. So just turn us back and we'll let you off easy."

"Easy as in a brutal beating." Dark growled. Literally.

"That's quite alright." The creature giggled, the air of danger leaving it once again as it began to hover from the room. "I'm happy with how this turned out. You two should be as well. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some important business to attend to. Plenty more pockets to be pilfered, if you know what I mean! See you soon!" The wall slid away from behind him, and the creature disappeared from sight, the purple fairy, Tael, following close behind.

"Yeah! See 'ya soon, suckers!" It's tittering laughter echoed down the hall until both were out of sight. Leaving only the golden fairy behind as she fluttered over to them.

"This is your own fault. You should've just let the horse go, then none of this would've happened. But oh, well. Better luck next time!"

She waved jauntily and flew away, anxious to rejoin her companions. She didn't want Skullkid to be alone with Tael for too long…

The wall was smooth before her. Closed. Separating her from her brother and the world beyond.

"Better luck next time to you too." Link said smugly.

The fairy spluttered angrily. "Hey! Skullkid! You can't just leave without me! Tael! Open the door!" She paused, waiting for a reply, and when she received none she faltered, her golden light dimming. Link almost felt sorry for her, but he quashed the feeling as he helped Dark onto his feet.

"This is wrong. This is so very wrong." Dark howled, his ears and tails drooping. He missed his body already, and he still wasn't ever sure just what he looked like in whole! But Link was at his side, caressing his muzzle, and Dark was just grateful that they were finally together again.

'_And at least _I'm _not the one who was turned into a silly scrub…'_

"Um… excuse me?" The two turned, their pupils dilating in the sudden light the golden fairy emitted. She hung in the air almost timidly, but her wings were tense, and Dark could feel the anger she was stowing away. At the hateful, glaring looks she received, the fairy sighed exasperatedly and crept closer. "Look, I know you're both angry, and I know what happened here was wrong. I would've helped if I could, but I'm not quite up to Skullkid's caliber. Still, my little brother is with him right now, and I'm worried. So please," Her tone was strained, despairing but held back with pride. "Will you help me? You two can open the door, and then I'll try to convince Skullkid to turn you back, okay?"

"Oh please, like we can believe anything you have to say." Dark grumbled. "For all we know, you'll lead us right into a another trap."

"But you have to help me! I'm a poor defenseless little girl, you jerk! Don't you have any sympathy?"

"Not really. And besides, we're not obligated to help anyone. Especially thieving and conniving fairies like you." Dark, looking completely unconcerned, pawed at his sword until it was in reach. He fumbled awkwardly for a moment, then discovered that it would be easier just to carry the sword with one of his three tails. While he did so, Link, being the Hero he was, couldn't help himself from sympathizing.

"We'll help you, but only if you promise to make Skullkid turn us back."

In a flare of golden light, the fairy bounced gleefully in the air. "Of course! No problem at all, alri-"

"No way!" Dark barked, his tails lashing. "We're not helping her. Besides, it's obvious she can't make that guy do anything he doesn't want to do. Link, stop being so gullible." He glared at the wilting fairy. "And you, get outta here. We can manage on our own, thank you very much."

Standing clumsily on his feet, Dark managed to guide his new body into an easy lope. "C'mon, Link, we're leaving! I'm ready to kick some '_Skullkid_' butt!"

Dark, already adapting to his new figure, was able to easily shoulder open the door. He was loping out of sight, paws fumbling ever now and again, and before Link knew it he was gone. He turned to the fairy, knowing in his heart what he had to do.

"So you're coming along right?"

"Seriously?" She breathed, wary or trickery.

"Yes. You can hide in my cap for now, and you can tell me where we need to go."

"But what if that Keaton guy finds out? He'll kill me!"

"Nah, he won't hurt you." Link collected his sword, his body jerky and awkward. It was like he'd been transformed into a small, bulky child. He flinched at how familiar that sounded. "Darks not angry with you in particular, really. He's mad at... Skullkid, was it?"

"Yeah. Skullkid…" The fairy sighed, her color dimming. Link turned away from her to give her a sense of privacy.

"We should get going. Dark is pretty fast when he wants to be." He took two clumsy steps forward, unable to balance himself with the easy swing of his arms since they were hanging onto his sword. But he managed, and after a few walk cycles he'd gotten the hang of it. He turned and looked pointedly at the golden fairy with somber eyes. "You coming?"

She hesitated only a moment more, then sighed and crawled beneath the thin fabric of Links forest green cap.

* * *

Just as it had earlier, the tunnel he was in burst into color, pressing up against him and the walls of the cavern. It was different though, brighter, I supposed. But whether or not it was because of his new eyes or the colors themselves, Dark couldn't tell.

His eyes _were_ weird though. Everything seemed a lot more... vivid. It wasn't half bad, truthfully.

But he could have done without the tails. They were awkward and heavy and slowed him down as he ran. They were good at holding things though, seeing as how his sword had yet to make any sign of slipping from him. So, all in all... this new body wasn't so bad.

Link probably didn't think much of his own though.

Dark cackled to himself, dodging a rift in the rocky floor. It was cold beneath the pads of his feet, but bearable. He was, after all, covered in a cozy, fluffy fur coat. Not at all like the cold wood body Link was trapped within.

_'Poor Link...' _A twinge of guilt nipped at his heart, but he quashed it. He was still angry after all. At Skullkid, at the fairies, at himself for running away from Link. But that didn't mean the blond hadn't done anything to garner his fury as well! _'He was the one that ran off and fell down a hole, after all! He should have waited for me, I could have caught him before he slipped...'_

Dark knew that didn't count for a thing at all, though. Epona would have still been missing, even if they hadn't fallen.

And Link would'nt have been able to take the loss of yet another friend.

Growling to himself, Dark realized that he'd been the one to start all of this trouble. He'd been the one that failed to kill Skullkid the first time they'd met. If he'd just done that...

_'Link and I would still be riding through the forest without a care in the world.'_

Dark stopped, sighed, then plopped down. He would wait for Link. Because at least when they were together, even the most terrible times could be bearable.

And this was, in two words, a dreadful situation.

And somehow he knew it could only get worse from here.

* * *

Link knew, shortly after the tunnel of swirling colors ended, that Dark was waiting for him. He took a deep breath of air, felt the fairy on his head huddle deeper into his hat, and then stepped into a pool of light that shone from the glowworms overhead.

"You waited for me?"

"Yeah. I felt a little bad about running off. So... I waited."

"All this rock cooled you off, huh?"

"Suppose so."

Dark rose from his curled position on the floor, his fur glowing in the moonlight. It was, Link noticed, a pale gray. He'd seen the Keaton masks at the Bizarre in Market Town, and they had always been gold. Weird.

"There's some light a little ways father. I think that means we're almost to the end of this stupid tunnel."

Link nodded, waddled a little ways, then looked back to make sure Dark was following. His ruby red eyes were sad and weary, accented by guilt.

"It'll be alright." He amended. "We'll find Skullkid, knock him around a bit, and then he'll turn us back. Easy as that. He just caught us off guard, is all. That's the only reason he was able to get away. So just... just... don't worry about it."

"I'm not worried." Dark scoffed. But even as he said it the both of them knew he was lying.

It wasn't exactly an... abrupt end. It was just that, one second they were walking over rock and gravel, and the next they were sloshing through waist deep water and silt. The glowworms overhead watched in calm repose as Dark yelped in surprise, because the water didn't just flow right past him, it pulled at his fur and seemed to _grip_ him. As if it too were a living thing. But before he could feel and real danger, the water had calmed and gone back to flowing peacefully past. He'd looked at Link, attempted to raise a non-existant eyebrow and failed, and then moved right along.

Link though, being terribly short and awfully buoyant in his new wooden body, was unable to reach the bottom of the river. He stood on the shallow bank in the darkness, the only light in the cavern coming from the glowworms and a few cracks in the wall that light seemed to seep through. It was odd, but he didn't think much of it as he tried to keep pace with Dark.

The continued through the river without much trouble, though it was very tiring for Link to carry his heavy sword in his arms and trudge through water at the same time. He thought vaguely of temples and zoras but didn't dwell, because, well, all of that was in the past. That adventure had ended long ago, never to be touched upon again. Link sighed, staring at his waterlogged tunic. It was a mystery how it even fit him anymore.

The light began to dim, the glowworms wriggling away from them. The cracks in the tunnel became fewer and fewer until there were none, and Dark edged closer to Link just in case something decided to attack them.

The air around them began to change to something fresher, cleaner, and Link breathed it in deeply. He could hear something now, a steady thunk thunk thunk that kept going and going.

"What's that noise?" He asked as it began to grow louder.

"Search me." Dark replied, equally perplexed.

The continued walking, ears strained for the slightest noise. Darks eyes, adjusting to the darkness, could just barely make out what must have been an arched column of stone. They passed beneath it, and the floor and the river alike disappeared from beneath them.

Dark was too annoyed to be frightened.

"I'm so sick of all this falling and unknown shit!" He shouted to no one in particular, although he could hear a gruff noise of agreement from Link as he too plummeted. All the blond wanted was to get back into the sun, to breath in the scent of trees and forest once again. He'd only left home this morning, and already he was missing it.

_'One day, it's only been one day. I'm so _tired_...'_

Dark hit the ground first, and Link was thankful to have such a soft body to land on. From the quick exhalation of air from the man, fox, _creature_, beneath him though, Link figured Dark wasn't nearly as amused.

"I think you broke one of my _ribs_." Dark groaned, heaving Link off of him so he could gingerly nose at the bruised area. Link looked, deemed it fine and said, "You're such a big baby sometimes."

"Not."

"Are too."

They both sighed, sated smiles on their faces. Just like home.

Link went to retrieve the sword he'd dropped, his feet sloshing in the water beneath him. It was a steady trickle, nothing he couldn't handle. Dark was already on the move, his feet padding through the water, carrying him away. Link followed, and in a matter of minutes the water began to rise. And a few minutes after that, the first sign of civilization they'd seen since dawn appeared before them.

It was a molded, ratty plank of wood, but still a sign.

"We're close to something, that's for sure." Link said.

The continued on, watching as beam after beam began to appear overhead. Light filtered in from behind them, lighting the water they were sloshing through. Link thought he saw a tiny group of fish darting about in the water, but before he could take a closer look the tiny shadows had already disappeared.

_Thunk thunk thunk, _the noise from earlier picked up again, almost, but not quite, overhead. Overlapping it was the sound of chatter, of life, and Dark turned to look at Link.

"I think we're in some sort of well. You know, like the one in Kakiriko."

"Maybe. Just keep going, there's gotta be stairs or something around here."

Dark turned to do just that, and ran head first into a pillar of wood standing upright in the water. Growling in humiliation, his fur flamed red as Link said smugly, "Smooth Dark, real smooth."

Beside them appeared a dock of sorts, and Dark leaped up onto it in one easy motion. He turned to help Link, who was struggling to even reach the dock with his _hands, _and found that his tails were becoming quite handy. All he had to do was reach out and snag Link around his tiny middle, then lift. Keatons, it seemed, kept most of their strength stored in their tails.

As the scrub settled on the dock, his hands hefting the sword he held higher, Links somber eyes turned serious.

"We're being watched."

As calmly as possible, Dark puffed out his chest, tails grasping the Master swords shadow. Link stuck close to him, trying to appear as neutral as possible. But since he was a deku scrub, it was impossible to appear much more than a sad, washed out looking forest creature. Dark applauded him for trying though.

A set of stairs unfolded before them, leading up into a darkness that made Darks fur crawl. But he led the way up, regardless. Link struggled behind him, but he made it up. And as they stood side by side in what appeared to be a large, empty room, a red pair of eyes opened within the shadows.

"You've finally arrived."

* * *

Sooo? You like, Y/N?

Also I'm sure there's mistakes in there somewhere, OTL. I'll get them on my massive EDIT later on. And remember, my profile has everything you need to know about the next update and all that good stuff. See you guys next week!

_Reviews Are Love!~_


	6. III

I'm so sorry! Argh, I've been so busy lately that I haven't had time to write at all. I had to sacrifice note-taking in Government class to write the remainder of this chapter, haha. But this week I shouldn't be as busy, and I'll try to update in a weeks time as I've done thus far. You can always looks at my profile, though. It'll have the release date for the next chapter on it.

**Disclaimer: LoZ does not belong to me. The extra bits in this story, however, do. **

**Warnings: Violence. General Weird. Minor Yaoi.**

* * *

**A Wandering Soul Proceeds All Darkness**

_**Chapter – III**_

_**Title – To Uphold the Three Day Curse**_

* * *

_He knew, and was certain, that they were the ones. From their scent, from their demeanor, from the way their eyes darted about warily and the way their auras fluttered about, he knew they were the ones. These two warriors, this Deku and Keaton, they would retrieve his mask for him without pause, and it would be so easy to sway them to do so. He could taste it after all, the flavor of his own magic. The imp, it seemed, had either learned how to harness the power of the mask, or the mask itself had... well, he didn't want to think of it. If his other half rooted to another and began to grow in power after all..._

_A whisper caressed his ear, "We're being watched." And he chuckled to himself. They were smart and obviously used to battle. Yes, it was certain indeed their role in this fate, and, perhaps, the destiny of Clocktown itself._

_Lingering in the shadows, waiting like a wraith, he watched as the two stumbled up the stairs and onto the sturdy wooden planks of the platform. A pair of garnet eyes not unlike his own lighted over his face, and his heart skipped a beat. Could he see him? It had been so long since another mortal - but no, they continued on, scanning every corner of the room. This one, the one in the Keaton skin, would be the troublesome one. But the other, whose sad, sapphire eyes were on nothing but the double doors, would be easier to sway, to convince._

_He knew what had to be done, and exactly how to do it. A twitch of his own magic, and his body materialized in the shadows, whole and human. A shape these two could recognize and trust._

"You've finally arrived." He said, his voice lighthearted and kind. "I've been waiting. Welcome, friends, to Clocktown."

Hands clasped together, back ladled down with a heavy leather bag and an assortment of prizes, he thought he pulled the part of the friendly, welcoming host quite well. But the overall reaction he received was not quite what he had wanted...

"Where the hell did you come from?"

"Who the hell are you?"

An awkward pause, a daunting silence, and he found himself sighing, trying very hard to repress a sudden twinge of anger. He crossed his arms, pouted.

"My, what manners you boys have. But fine, I shall be the gentleman here. I came from Hyrule, and my name is of no importance. But, if you _must_ have a title to attach to me, I am simply the Happy Mask Salesman." He waited patiently for the two to tell him their own names, but instead they just stared up at him with big, soulful eyes.

"Wait," The Keaton boy said, his ears twitching moodily. "The way you said you were from Hyrule makes it sound like we're, well, _not_ in Hyrule. Which is impossible, because we _couldn't_ have gotten that far so quickly."

"Yeah, the Deku Tree told us it would take us a week at most to leave this country behind."

"Well he's just a tree," The Happy Mask Salesman said gently, as if he were politely reprimanding children. "What would he know?"

The Keaton seemed to be holding back laughter, horror in his eyes as he observed the look on his partners eyes. So he'd said something wrong there, hadn't he?

"The Deku Tree is a wiser than you'll ever be! How dare you insult him that way!" Link felt the need to reach for the sword that should have been on his back, but was instead bundled in his tiny hands. His fury waned quickly at that.

"Of course, how silly of me." He amended, much to their surprise. "I apologize. Now, your names?"

He waited, and they, looking terribly confused, finally crumbled.

"Dark Link."

"Link. Pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine." He said gently, storing the information away. He decided that now, while they were awkwardly standing with their eyes on the door, would be as good a time as any to tell them his tale.

"You two must be horribly confused, and I can understand that. Don't fret, though. Everything will begin to fall into place the moment you step out that door. But, before you do so, and I'm not going to twist your arms or anything," He stopped, clasped his hands together once again. "I'd like to ask you two for a favor. Nothing too difficult, seeing as how you're a strong couple of boys." Their surprised inhalations pleased him, and he knew he had their full attention then.

"You can tell we're, well, not what we appear to be?" The deku asked him timidly. Trying not to get his hopes up in case he'd just heard wrong, it seemed. He almost felt sorry for the poor thing.

"Yes, I can indeed. You're a pair of warriors, correct?" They nodded, and he tipped his head. "Then you should have no trouble with what I am to ask of you. You see, I was-"

"Hold up a second." He opened his eyes to glare at the interrupter, knowing it was going to be the troublesome fox boy. "Before you even start, what's in it for us? I'm not gonna go and fetch your lost puppy for a couple of coins."

"Be silent when I speak." He said simply, his expression dark. He expected them both to recoil, but the Keaton only glowered at him. "My favor does not involve a 'puppy', but I have indeed lost something. As you can see, I am a traveler much like you two. I travel from place to place in search of masks, which I then sell to other to spread the happiness. It's a lovely way to live, and I've never had trouble earning my coin. But, unfortunately, all good things must soon come to an end."

"I can see where this is going." The fox mumbled. The scrub stomped on his paw with a harsh, 'Ssh!'

He smiled approvingly.

"On my way to this town I ran into a bit of trouble. I was attacked, you see, by an imp wearing a paper hat."

The warriors before him shared a wide-eyed look.

"An imp?"

"Yes." He said simply, his irritation building. "I was attacked. Now usually, I would cut my losses and move on, because there's no use crying over spilled milk. But you see, this was no ordinary mask. No, this was my most treasured mask, and one I went to great lengths to retrieve."

A fork of white hot anger was twisting in his stomach, and his swallowed heavily to cool it. He had to maintain an air of calmness here, or the two would never agree to help him.

"This mask is one I cannot simply cut ties with. I've become quite... _attached_ to it, you see. But, alas, I am but a mere entrepreneur, not an assassin. I cannot confront him on my own. And that's where you two come in."

"Actually, we-"

"Before you say anything," He interrupted smugly. "I have a very enticing reward for the two of you. Bring me back my mask, and I shall return you to your normal forms."

"You can do that?" The two warriors were nearly foaming at the mouth, approaching him like rabid men.

"Of course, of course." He said quickly, shooing them away with his hands. "All you have to do is bring me back my mask. Simple, no?"

"Yeah, but... You see..." The scrub looked to the Keaton for help, but the fox only shrugged.

"We ran into the imp too. His names Skullkid, by the way. He transformed us and we were unable to stop him."

At the disapproving look on the Happy Mask Saleman's face, the scrub quickly shook his head in earnest.

"But we were taken by surprise, you see. We should be able to overpower him no sweat the next time we see him!"

"And we'll bring your mask back without a scratch." The fox added.

He regarded them with a careful look, testing their truthfulness, and then grinned. "Alright then! It's a deal."

The two warriors were nearly scrambling for the door before he even finished, and he felt a stab of panic for a moment. "Wait!" He called out, his eyes crazy. They turned to look at him, their bodies already pressed up against the door.

"What?" The Keaton snapped.

"I'm afraid I'll have to leave in three days time. I'm needed elsewhere, you see, and I can not dally. So, if you'd be so kind as to hurry and bring me my mask before three days have passed, I would wholeheartedly appreciate it. I'll stay right here so you can find me once you've claimed it."

The scrub nodded, pushed against the door with a sudden determination. "We'll be back before you know it." He said, and then the room exploded in light, and before his eyes could adjust, they were gone. The door swung on it's rusted hinges once, twice, three times, and then halted with a deafening screech.

The Happy Mask Salesman smiled to himself, clasped his hands together in a sweaty grip.

"I'll be waiting."

"That guy was stark raving mad."

"He was a bit creepy, wasn't he?"

"A bit?" Dark said incredulously, his tails lashing. "He was insane! I could go a lifetime without seeing that creeper again."

"But he promised to turn us back." Link reminded him. He wasn't too fond of the man himself, but one of them had to be rational here.

"I know, I know. But... there's something about him. Something weird. I don't trust him."

"We'll be careful then. Very careful."

With his voice set in a stone-like tone of finality, the conversation died, ended, and slowly, the finally, the two warriors noticed the world before them.

Standing, awestruck, jaws slack, a silence grew between them. Of all the things to find after dank tunnels and dripping waterways, this, this _town_, was the last thing they'd expected.

Link's first though, whereas Dark remained silent, was,_ 'Busy. So very busy.'_

Overhead the sky was unfolding, the sun inching towards it's rightful place, and it illuminated the people of -What'd the Salesman called it?- Clocktown. And everywhere he looked, in every single direction, was something or someone in motion.

To their immediate view, a large platform was being constructed, all around it men in carpenters attire with hammer in their sweating palms and blueprints tucked into their trousers stood gazing at at its wooden supports. Atop it was a man who seemed to be shouting angry orders, his hands gesturing at people in parts in a way that said, 'Move or be moved.'

Link tried to count, failed, then gave up. Too many people, all at once, were impossible to keep track of. Especially since they were all running hither and tither all at once. He lets his eyes wander instead, following a staircase up, up, up, and found himself looking into the charcoal eyes of a mask not unlike Darks new face. A Keaton mask, one from the Bizarre Link had dallied past man a time.

He raised a dainty hand to point it out to Dark, calling his name to get his attention.

"What? What is it?" The Keaton had been occupied with a man bumbling about in a skimpy red and white outfit, and by the time Link got him to direct his attention in the right direction, the boy with the mask was gone.

"What?" Dark asked him, peering at the staircase as he cocked his head. "I don't see anything."

"It's gone." Link said, and if he'd been in his human body, his eyebrows would have been drawn down in a look of confusion, utterly perplexed. But for now, as Dark went back to chuckling at the man in red and white, Link was left to take small steps out into the breaking sunlight. He prodded around the stalls and the people, then stopped to stare up into the sky. Something had caught his eyes, something strange...

A few meters behind him, Dark was also staring up into the sky, his eyes narrowed. As one, they shared the same thought.

_'What's with that weird moon?'_

Before Link could ponder further though, a young lady stumbled into him, apologized quickly, then blinked and turned back to stare at him with very wide eyes.

"A Deku Scrub? Say, your kind doesn't appear in these parts very often. Are you lost?" She crouched to his level, her eyes kind and her ginger hair pulled back from her eyes. Link found her very pretty, but made no inclination to thinking so. Dark had a tendency to become very jealous if he thought his 'Hero' was in jeopardy of leaving him.

"I'm not lost, exactly. Just, ah, getting away for a few days, you know?" He was suddenly reminded of the fact that he and Dark had absolutely no alibi, and to the people here, it very well made them look quite suspicious. But the woman seemed to take this excuse without hesitation, and she nodded in earnest.

"I can understand that. Everyone likes to get away for awhile..." Suddenly, her eyes seemed overcome with a deeper sadness than Link had seen in a long time, and he couldn't keep himself from asking if she was okay.

"I'm fine. Just a bit stressed, is all." Humming to herself, she stood and wiped her hands on the front of her skirt, then smiled at him. "I own the inn here in town, and if you ever need a place to rest for the night, I'd be glad to rent you a room for free. What with the festival coming up, I've been quite busy, and most of the rooms are full, but I think we can find a place to house you."

"Thank you." Link said, taken back by such kindness from a complete stranger. "My name is Link, by the way."

"Anju." The woman, Anju, replied.

A swear from behind them erupted in a chorus of howls of laughter from the carpenters, and Anju rolled her eyes.

"I'd better be getting back then. All this noise is giving me a headache... Anyway, I'll see you later Link!" With a quaint wave and a small smile, Anju was gone, her lithe form disappearing into a nearby crowd of people.

"Nice lady." Dark said as he loped to sit at his side, his tails dragging the Masters Swords duplicate behind them. "A little too nice."

"She's just being courteous." Link assured him, his feet already pulling him further along. Dark made a noise deep in his throat, a canine-like scoff perhaps, but he followed close behind.

They headed up the stairs and into a large square that was bordered by stalls and shops. People paid them little heed at first, their attention directed elsewhere, but then the sun reached its peak and people could no longer stop themselves from staring, even if they'd wanted to.

Dark's fur, illuminated by the sun, shone like gold.

"Is that a Keaton?" One man said as the two warriors walked by. He was answered by an unsure murmur in the crowd, and after that, Dark stuck to the shadows, his pelt dimmed by the darkness.

"I hate this town already." He grumbled, much to Links amusement. The Deku knew that Dark had issues with people staring, with others judging him, but he knew that these people weren't looking at him with disgust or anything negative at all. They were staring in awe, in amazement, in wonder. They were fascinated with this strange creature, one he himself knew very, very little about.

If Dark himself were to describe the situation, he would have stated it in one simple, easy word.

_Interesting. _

At the top of yet another staircase they rested in the eaves of a large building, which, now that Link looked at it, was an inn. The inn, he assumed, owned by Anju. He mentally noted it's location, storing it away for later. At least, even in this strange new world, they could have something familiar to return to.

A breeze filtered past them, ruffling Dark's fur and tickling Links nose, and with the sudden chill Link had no choice but to curl closer to the Keaton. Link sighed, his limbs weary, and he realized then that this was the beginning of it all. This was where it started; the new tale of their lives.

"We'll find him." Dark mumbled, his eyes wary as he watched the people ambling by. While Link found himself relaxed, the Keaton sat stock still, his muscles tensed. When the Deku boy gave him a curious look, Dark tried to shrug it off, his muzzle curling up into a fox-like smile. And while his fur seemed to settle, the warrior still seemed off. The foxes eyes settled on the sky, cold and calculating.

Yes, it was obvious that something was very, very wrong.

* * *

Hopefully there aren't too many mistakes, but I'll try to go back and fix whatever I can. If you see anything, let me know, though.

Also, I'm sorry it's shorter than usual.

_Reviews Are Love!~_


	7. IV

Sorry again for lateness, readers. I'm thinking I'll have to go to updates every other week, because the only reason I got this one done is because I've been sick and had nothing better to do for the last five days. But I do have the next chapter done as well, which is good. But how would you guys feel about updates every other week? That'd be okay, right?

Also, I know things are a bit different in this story than they are in the game. Don't worry about anything, because I've got it covered. There is a method to my madness, haha.

**Disclaimer: LoZ does not belong to me. The extra bits in this story, however, do. **

**Warnings: Violence. General Weird. Minor Yaoi.**

* * *

**A Wandering Soul Proceeds All Darkness**

_**Chapter – IV**_

_**Title – Enter: The Bombers**_

* * *

When once again they began their ambling journey, it was high noon and the sun rested high in it's roost. Dark grumbled about the heat and his pelt, but carried on regardless. The thought of wringing Skullkid's neck helped him urge his legs forward.

Link, beside him, was quiet as he observed Clocktown and its people. The sword in his hand spoke of courage and adventure, but whenever someone stopped to stare at him, they would only smile, murmur how cute he was, and then be on their way. And if that wasn't the case, they would scold him for venturing away from his family, and then shake their heads as they went back to their business.

It wasn't fair. Not at all.

With the thought of his human body being returned to him soon, he put most of his energy into concentrating. He had to figure out just where Skullkid had run off to, and after that, how to get the mask away from him.

His head clouded in thought, he began to pay little mind to where he was going, and for the second time that day, he found himself bumping into someone.

This someone, unlike the lovely Anju, was a bug-eyed child with a cap turned backwards on his skull. The boy regarded him with a look of amusement and wonder, and then began to laugh.

"Ha! You're a funny thing, aren't you? With those big sad eyes I almost thought you were a ghost or something!" The child continued to chuckle to himself, but Link didn't find it offensive. His eyes were kind, after all, and this boy was still just a child. He had yet to learn the meaning of cruelty.

Dark, on the other hand, was displeased. From his spot in the shadows he began to growl low in his throat, hackles rising. The boy didn't notice him, which was probably for the best.

Wiping a stray tear from his eye, the boy sighed and then nodded at Link. "So you must be new here, right? Or maybe just here for the festival? We don't see your kind running about in these parts after all."

Link, picking up on the mention of a festival, cocked his head. "What's this festival everyone is talking about? Is the town celebrating something?"

To his surprise, the boy's eyes widened, a look of shock taking control of his features. He regarded Link with a curious stare, searching for something in his expression, and then hummed to himself.

"You're definitely not from around here if you haven't heard of Clocktowns festival. It's famous, after all!" His chest puffed out, tone proud, and then he continued. "The Bombers make sure of that. We get to go around advertising for it every year. Although, most everyone already knows about it..." Scratching idly at his chin, the boy broke out into a smile. "My name is Zio. And you are?"

"Link." He replied. "What's the town festival for? And, ah, Bombers?"

Zio chuckled, patted Links shoulder and said, "The festival is to pray to the Four Gods for a healthy harvest next year. If you've walked through Town Square yet, you've probably seen the carpenters building a big 'ol platform. In about two and a half days, the door on the clocktower will open, and we'll be able to walk up onto the clockface with the help of the carpenters' platform. The elders in town always say that the Gods can hear you better if you're higher up, and the tower is the highest place in Termina." He paused, making sure Link was following what he was saying, then continued.

"The Bombers are a secret society of justice! We make it our duty to make the people of Clocktown as happy as possible. We're currently looking for new members, actually. Would you be interested in joining?"

Amused now, Link chuckled to himself. Here he was, nearly the same height as this child, being treated like another child! He was seventeen now, and yet, as a scrub, he appeared to be nothing but a youngster. He was reminded yet again of times that had never truly existed, of a pair of said blue eyes and darkness, and nearly lost himself in the flood of memories that should never have been. When Zio passed a hand over his field of vision, however, he blinked and managed his most intelligent response at that moment, "Uh. Okay?"

Behind him, he could hear give a snort of amusement, and he inclined his head to glare at the fox. It wasn't a tad bit threatening, though, and Link gave up on the Keaton to turn his attention back to Zio.

"What do I have to do to join?" It occurred to him then that perhaps this wasn't too bad of an idea. From what Zio had said thus far, he could tell that The Bombers played a huge role in the grand scheme of Clocktown. And through them, hopefully, the whereabouts of a certain imp would soon come to light.

"You'll have to go meet my Boss, first of all." Zio said suddenly, interrupting Links silent musing. "He gives out a test, and if you pass, you get to be a part-time member. But to be a full-time member, well, you'll see." With a grin, Zio spun on his heel, walking due north as a clock chimed in the background. "Just follow me!" He said, motioning for Link to hurry up.

Dark huddled in the shadows, following the two boys. His focus was on the reverbrations in the air, though. The tock tock tock of clock hands.

It was three 'o clock in the afternoon.

Tucked away in the darkness of the kind Deku boys hat, Tatl sat idly, her mind working against her.

She could remember attacking the Salesman, could picture his indignant face of absolute fury as Skullkid, Tael, and her self had run off as quickly as possible. Skullkid had seen the mask from afar, his breath catching in his throat. Tatl saw how his had eyes widened, his pupils dilated, and thought nothing of it. Skullkid had always been a bit of a kleptomaniac, after all. But the way he'd brutally knocked out the man, with an animosity neither she or her brother had ever witnessed before, Tatl began to wonder.

Just who was Skullkid anyway? Why had he been all alone that day in the rain, his clothes soaked through to his skin and his hat dripping with raindrops?

Nevertheless.

The mask had fit perfectly.

Almost as if it was made for him.

He stood in the darkness of the clocktower, hands wringing over one another in a violent urge to grab something and rip it to pieces. The sound of hard labor and cheery laughter met his ears, and he turned away.

_Three days. Just three days._

"This is the perfect spot to watch the moon, don't you think?"

"I suppose it is. But I think it'd be easy to see the moon from just about anywhere. I mean, just look at it! It's so close! … say, you think Tatl is okay?"

The area Zio led him to was very quiet, and at first glance Link thought it was just an empty field. But upon closer observation, he realized that it was just a closed off part of the town. One, he assumed, was rarely tracked through. The only inhabitants here were a few other children dressed much like Zio himself was, and as they passed by, the children waved cheerily.

"Listen Link, I've got something I want to check out, I'll see you in a bit." Dark trotted at his side, his attention otherwise elsewhere, and then winked at him. "Have fun entertaining the children. Call if you need me." With that he turned and darted off for a small bank fenced off by crumbling wooden planks. As he passed, one of his tails caressed Links face, and if he had known how to blush in this form, he probably would have.

When the fox disappeared into the tall grass behind the fence, Link returned his attention to the area, and found himself staring up at an oddly shaped balloon. It was decorated with a symbol he thought he was familiar with, but it was hard to tell from this angle. Zio led him to the center of the area, stopping in front of a boy with a red bandana. The child had a hollowed out reed in one hand, a bag of something or another in his other. When Zio stopped and saluted, the boy inclined his head once, and then turned his narrow eyes to Link.

It was then that he noticed that all the other children were gathering around him, and as he counted -One, two, three, four, five... six- he found himself surrounded, and a twitch of panic nipped at his heart.

They were just children, but they greatly outnumbered him. And besides, his only weapon was a sword he could barely keep aloft.

But Zio was smiling, and it was touching his eyes in a look of benevolence, and Link realized that he was being an idiot. They were children, and most certainly not his enemies.

"Welcome, Link. My name is Jim. I'm the leader of The Bombers Secret Society of Justice. Nice to meet you." Jim, whose tone was high-pitched and very much a child's, still managed to be commanding and authoritative. Link was amused, but he stayed quiet. "Zio tells me you want to be a part of The Bombers?"

Link nodded.

"Hm... well, you're definitely interesting, but I'm afraid you can't join."

Zio, looking taken aback, gaped at his Boss. "Why not? What happened while I was away?"

Jim sighed, rubbed his temple in a very mature, adult-like way, and said, "You remember that imp guy we let into the group this morning? Well, he went around playing pranks on people and stealing things. That's definitely not in the code. So I had to cut him loose. But then he got all weird, and started saying some pretty creepy things..." Humming, Jim shook his head. "Anyway, I just don't think we can trust anyone whose not from Clocktown. There's no telling what the creatures from other parts of Termina are really up to." He turned his attention to Link, eyes cold and hard. "What are you doing here anyway? Don't Deku's have their own festival to be attending to out in the swamp?"

Link, feeling caught in a lie he hadn't even woven, ran through all the excuses he could come up with in his head. What could he tell these children?

"I just needed to get away, that's all." There. That was about as truthful as he could get. When Jim cocked an eyebrow at him, though, he feared it was the wrong answer.

"Away from what?"

Considering the consequence of running, Link decided it was best to just wing it and hope that these children bought it. He had no excuse, though, and no idea what he should say. Luckily, Zio stepped in and saved him.

"Jim, Link seems like a really nice Deku Scrub. I don't think he'd go around breaking The Bomber rules! Just give him a chance, maybe even give him the alternate test. You know, the harder one that you've been thinking up. You said the other day that you wanted to try it, but hadn't had the right candidate, yet. Here's your chance, Boss!"

A chorus of eager voices rose among the boys, and Jim, who seemed more worried about keeping his henchman happy than anything else, smiled and shook his head.

"Alright, alright, I give. But he's not allowed to be a full-time member." While he seemed harsh, Jim looked a bit sad. "Sorry Link. I'm just keeping the towns best interest in mind."

"It's fine." Link interjected. His heart was racing in his chest, the relief he felt as cool as ice in his veins. "I'm ready for the test, whenever you'd like to begin."

Jim nodded, all business once again as he stood stock straight. He tucked the bag in his hand into the loop of his shorts, stuck the reed behind his ear, and proclaimed, "Bombers! Line up!"

He had felt it the moment they entered the clearing, the tantalizing tang of magic and s\power.. Someone very powerful was nearby, and something about it seemed quite... familiar. So he'd left Link to play with the children of Clocktown in favor of seeking out this mysterious source of energy. And what he'd found was, well, unsurprising. In fact, he felt a little silly for not figuring it out sooner. Beyond the tall grass and little rocky alcove he'd ascended was a cave, and from his perch, a wooden fence, he could just make out the shimmer of fairies. It was a Fairy Fountain, tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the town and it's people. There, the Great Fair could watch over everyone without fear or trouble. But at the same time, Dark wondered if she ever became lonely, hidden in a cave in the middle of no where, how couldn't she?

Leaping from the creaking fence, Dark padded through the grass, his hold on the sword loosening. It seemed like the right thing to do as he set it by the mouth of the cave. With that done, he hurried on inside, the pads of his feet tender against the sudden cold tile beneath him.

As he trotted no, he expected the fairies to come out and greet him. They always had back in the times that shouldn't have been. And even though Link had only ever led him into one or two, he knew that this was a bit unusual.

A low alcove with hanging tapestries as fine as silver and as thin as hair parted before him, ans as he stepped into the fountain, it became crystal clear that something was definitely astray.

The water at his feet lay still and lifeless, and the walls that usually shone with the stars and comets of the night sky appeared cold and silent. The fountain was nearly pitch black save for two very faint balls of light.

Two balls of that that, at his arrival, brightened for the smallest moment, and then disappeared. This dying fountain and its residents had put their last efforts into luring him here, and it had cost them their lives.

"What's going on here? Where are you Great Fairy?"

Maybe it was because he was no Hero, and nothing like Link. Or maybe Fairies were afraid of Keaton's? Distraught, Dark continued to call out, searching in vain for a fairy that no longer lived here. When at last his own ears began to ring with the echo of his cries, Dark went quiet and sat n the edge of the fountain.

"What did I do? What can I do? He asked himself, peering through the darkness and into the reflections of the pool of water at his feet. A face he didn't know, eyes he was not familiar with, stared back at him, and Dark stamped a paw into the water, scattering the image. Sighing with the ripple of the water, Dark watched as the water stilled, and then let out a howl of surprise when a face that was definitely not his own, nor a Keaton's, formed on the water.

Heart pounding, Dark panted, and then padded back to the edge of the fountain. Not that he'd run from it in terror or anything...

The water whispered at him, giving voice to the feminine face on the waters surface, and Dark strained his ears to hear the weak words spoken to him.

_'Please... help me... imp... shattered... missing piece... fine... return it to me...'_

The cavern shuddered, a rumble that made Dark's fu stand on end. He looked to the water and the golden-haired fairy within, and found it empty. Confused, he shouted, "Wait! Find what missing piece? What am I looking for?"

No answer came to him, only a sultry wind that tugged at him, leading him away from the fountain and it's dying ecosystem. Dark took the hint and ran from the cave, confusion eddying in his mind.

_'What now? What now?' _Dark knew only one thing for certain, he needed to find this missing thing, something else Skullkid had stolen, apparently, and needed to find it quick.

Gathering his sword in two tails, Dark darted into the tall grass in the direction of town.

Link had to admit that upon hearing about Jim's 'test', he was quite wary. He'd expected a dual, a hard task, or maybe a ritual of sorts to see how strong he was. But in the end, he felt quite terrible for ever thinking such a thing.

_'These boys are only children. I should have seen this one coming...'_

When Jim had lined The Bombers up, Link had noticed how antsy they were. So he'd watched and waited as Jim raised a plump hand and Zio produced a whistle from his pocket. At the shrill blast, Jim brought his fist quickly down and shouted, "Scatter!" And, to Links horror, all five boys had disappeared, running on short legs as fast as they possible could.

Awkwardly, Link turned to both sides, looking for some kind of hint as to what he was supposed to do. He must have looked pretty pathetic, because a sudden sigh from the trees to his right alerted him to Zio's presence, and when the boy came out shaking his head in good humor, Link knew he'd missed something obvious.

But before he could ask, Zio came to stand at his side and said, with a friendly hand on his shoulder, "You're supposed to find us, Link. You know, like Hide-&-Seek?"

"Oh."

Relief flooded him, and the Deku boy scratched idly at his cheek. The Kokiri had played something similar to that. Link could remember taking part on occasion, but Mido always complained that Link could run faster than everyone else, and that it wasn't fair at all.

Homesickness twisted in his stomach, but Link nodded at Zio. "Alright. I can do that. You go hide again and I'll come look for you later."

He turned to leave, but Zio's hand tightened on his shoulder.

"Nah, it's okay, Link. I'll be one less person to find."

"But that's not really fair to the others now is it?"

"Right, right..." Pausing, Zio put a hand to his chin for a moment in thought, and then brightened. "Okay, you let me hold that," He pointed to the sword held tightly in Link's hands. "And we'll call it even. That's fair right?"

While it didn't seem _truly_ good enough, Link couldn't say no to the look on Zio's face. If he did, he knew the child's expression would become the equivalent to that of a kicked puppies. So Link nodded and handed the sword over.

"Thanks Link! This is _so_ cool!"

"Just be careful." Link said sternly. And as he walked away, he wondered if that had been the wisest decision... But at the sound of Zio's delighted laughter, Link knew it had been a worthwhile trade.

An hour and two children later -the little blighters really knew where to hide- Link found himself in the western part of Clocktown. After ambling around for the better half of twenty minutes in what had been the eastern section of the town, constantly lost, Link had finally decided to stop and ask someone for a map, directions, _anything_. The man, the very same postman who wore red and white that Dark had admired earlier, laughed at him when he'd stopped him.

"It's really quite easy to find your way around here, if you know where you want to be, that is." He'd taken Links shoulders and turned him to face away from the him. Pointing forward, the man said, "In that direction lies Woodfall Swamp. More importantly, that's south. Although, as a Deku Scrub, I would've assumed you knew that... Staring curiously, the man had watched Link so closely that the scrub began to sweat. To change the subject, Link had coughed (or at least tried to, it came out as more of a squeak) and turned to his right. "Then that must be west, right?"

"Correct." Patting his shoulder, the mad had then stepped away and tipped his hat. "If you turn in the complete opposite direction, you'll face the east. That only leaves the north, and I think you can pretty much figure that one out on your own. But really, it's not that difficult. Anyway, my break only lasts another four minutes and I absolutely can't have my schedule being disturbed. So I'll see you around, erm..."

"Link."

"I'm Hayate. Pleasure to meet you little Deku Scrub, Link." With a cheery wave the postman dashed off, and Link could only weakly call out a thank you before he was gone. Amused, Link had turned back to the east, observing the muted yellow talisman that was garnished with blocky white lettering. Link could not read what it said, which was yet another reminder that this place, Termina, was most certainly not his home. Regardless, he knew he had a task to be attending to, and had quickly scurried off in the direction of west Clocktown.

Where he was now, precisely.

There were quite a few buildings here, wrapping around a curved road that probably led back to another part of town. Before he took the road, though, he memorized tha layout and the shops where he was.

A blue talisman much like the one marking the east was perched high over an open gateway. He followed the opening down, the scent of salt carrying towards him on the breeze, and saw that a man garbed in chain mail and armor guarded the entryway.

Link stared openly, but gasped and hurried on when the guard inclined their head. He'd assumed that from this distance the guard couldn't see him... now he just felt like an idiot for staring so dumbly.

Down the road he met a man (woman? It was hard to tell) that offered to store his rupees. That way, he wouldn't have to carry them about.

Link had produced the three measly green pieces he had in his trouser pocket, and the banker laughed as he put them into a sleek black box. And as Link had tried to walk away, the banker reached out and brutally stamped the back of his shoulder, which, Link assumed, would be an annoyance when he got his real body back.

"Gee, thanks." He grumbled, to which the man only giggled.

At the end of the path he found another Bomber boy nestled among some loose honeysuckle vines, and the child had come out of hiding with a very disappointed pout.

"I didn't think it'd be so easy to find me." He said glumly. But, with a sigh, he shrugged. "There will be others. Anyway, your name is Link, right?" The scrub nodded. "Neat. My names Lex, nice meeting you! Good luck!" Link watched him leave, adding the name to his steadily growing list.

There was Zio, Honta, Kaz, and now Lex. As he left the western part of Clocktown behind, his thoughts on The Bombers, Link suddenly stopped, his brain kicking into full gear.

Zio, Honta, Kaz, and Lex. Plus Jim.

There had only been five boys, so that meant he was nearly done! All he had to do was find the boy in the red bandanna, and then he'd be able to join, well, partially, their ranks and utilize their knowledge of the town.

More upbeat than he'd been all day, Link headed east.

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I know this chapter was a bit dull, but I'm trying to explore the town and really get a feel for it. So the next chapter, hopefully, will be better. Keep an eye on my profile so you'll know when the next update will be! Because I change the release every other day, haha.

Oh, and, if you find any mistakes or something doesn't add up, could you let me know, please? Thanks in advance!

_Reviews Are Love!~_


	8. V

This chapter almost didn't happen, but I got it! Who cares about homework anyway? Also, I know things in the story don't really follow the game. Don't you worry your pretty little heads, cause I've got this, haha. Oh, and it was brought to my attention that the title of this story is a bit off. I blame my friend, because I'm just that nice. It was originally supposed to be named,_ 'A Wandering Soul Knows No Rest.'_ But my friend didn't like it and suggested,_ 'A Wandering Soul Proceeds All Darkness.' _Anyway, the story title will be changing, but only slightly. It is now, **'A Wandering Soul Precedes All Darkness.'** So just keep that in mind, please!

_**CONTEST:**_ That's right, a contest! If you've noticed, I named the Bomber boys. Their names are jumbles of letters I took from my own friends' names. If you can be the first to figure out what they were originally, you'll get your choice between a drawing or a oneshot of some sort. I'm busy though, so the first to answer is the only winner. I wish I could do multiple prizes, but that would be very time consuming. But who knows, I might have more contests in the future. So no worries! For reference, their names are as follows; Zio, Tin (who you haven't seen yet), Honta, Lex, and Kaz. Jim doesn't count, cause he already has a name. Now why am I having a contest anyway? I don't really know, haha. It seemed like a good idea.

**Disclaimer:** Legend of Zelda: Majoras Mask, does not belong to me. The original ideas in this story kinda do?

**Warnings:** General weird. Minor Yaoi.

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**A Wandering Soul Precedes All Darkess**

**_Chapter - V_**

**_Title - Stagnant_**

* * *

Without the slightest clue as to where he should look, Dark had started with the easiest places. The town square, the field he had left Link (although the blond was no where to be seen as he ambled about), the stores, homes, empty lots, crates, alcoves and perches. By the time he'd stopped to rest, three hours had passed. The sun had begun to set about half an hour ago, and before long he would have to search by moonlight.

And that moon, truly, was insanely creepy.

Dark would almost swear he could see a face in it's cavernous body. But people always saw things in the moons face, right?

Scaling the side of what appeared to be an item shop, Dark scrambled to the highest point and then leaped for a tall, wooden support. He ascended that too, and then looked out over the town. And, interestingly, over a bit of Termina itself.

Clocktown had high walls sure, but he was at the perfect altitude. Although, he noticed, if he'd returned to the Clocktower, he would surely have been able to see even more.

But he was content here to stare down at the retreating people and the carpenters who tarried on regardless of the night.

Link was down there somewhere...

_'I miss him... I miss _me_.'_

Dark didn't particularly enjoy leaving the blond alone, but sometimes he had no choice. Like today, for instance. When he'd caught a whiff of the fountain and it's concentrated magical aura, he couldn't resist.

_'And see where that's gotten me... on a wild chase with no leads or, well, _anything_!'_

Growling to himself, Dark tried to focus on Termina, tried to see just what laid out in those vast lands... But the sun was disappearing too quickly, and just as he'd deciphered what looked to be some sort of mountani range, the light snuffed out and all was cast into darkness.

"Great." Dark grumbled. He had wasted his day looking for some silly missing... _thing_. Before long Link would start worrying about him, wondering where he had been all day. And he couldn't forget the Salesman and Skulkid, both of which he'd tried to block from his mind as much as possible.

Because they only had two days left.

Dejected, Dark descended from his vantage point, and when he reached the bottom, he set out for the southern part of Clocktown. Maybe Link would be around that area, looking for him as well.

With the sun out of the picture he no longer felt the need to carry about in the shadows. The lack of peopled helped as well, and his confidence returned to him. Crowds were dangerous after all, and even more so when he was stuck in a body that probably couldn't fight.

Worry nagged at him, panic for Link and his safety swelling in his heart.

_'He better be okay, or I swear to the Goddesses...' _

Even as he darted through the cobblestone streets, his mind elsewhere, the thought, _'Do the people here even worship the same Goddesses as the Hylians do?' _flashed once in his head, then disappeared.

A carpented nearly tripped over him as he entered the southern part of Clocktown, forcing him to leap up a flight of stairs before the man sought him out. He could hear the muffled, "You know you've been on the clock way too long when you start trippin' over nothin'." but Dark paid it little mind. Because he'd smelled something absolutely wonderful. Something doused in power and magic.

Elated, Dark padded through a back alley that opened into a small clearing and a waterway. A tree hid the moon from this place, and the sound of music filled his ears. A man sat in the corner of the small enclosed area, his hands busy at the keys of an accordion. The sound he made would have been very pleasant to Dark had he been in his regular form. But with the Keaton's enhanced senses, the accordion sounded like the harping of metal on metal.

Needless to say, he didn't care for it.

Sticking to the wall, Dark padded over to the waters edge, watching the tiny fish inside toddle about. He didn't stare long, his nose targeting in on the scent of magic. Testing the air, he followed the water edge to a tiny bridge and crossed it, all the while taking deep, thoughtful breaths. He could see a door at the other end of the path, but the further he walked the dimmer the smell became. So he trotted back to the bridge where it seemed the strongest, and sniffed about the wooden platform.

It had a small arch to let the water flow freely beneath it, and when Dark leaned over the side, maneuvered himself to curl over the edge, he poked his head beneath the platform and was met with the glimmer of fairy magic.

A fairy, glowing faintly pink, fluttered in the small space between the bridge and the water. Dark grinned, and if he had paid attention to his reflection, he would have seen just how demonic his sharp canines and ruby eyes looked in the darkness.

"I finally _found_ you!"

His joy died as a shrill scream assaulted him, and before he knew it, the fairy had fainted. The water swallowed her as as she went limp, and Dark knew he had no choice. In he went, the water cold as ice against him, the lazy current invading his ears and prickling at his eyes. The fairy shone like a beacon, so finding her was no trouble. Picking her up, however, was. The seconds ticked on as he tried to figure out how to grab her. With teeth? With claw? As his lungs began to fail he settled on swimming beneath her, letting her frail body settled between his ears. Dark pushed against the water, surfacing moments later.

Crawling onto the bank, he coughed and spluttered to clear his lungs, then rolled the fairy off his skull. She lay still in the grass, probably playing dead, but Dark could hear the pulse in her veins going strong.

"Hey, I'm here to bring you back to the fountain. And I searched all damn day for you, so stop faking already."

The fairy lay still for another moment or so, and then sighed. She sat up, shaking water from herself and her wings, then took flight. Dark watched as she ran tiny fingers through her hair, straining the water from it. "So you're not going to stomp on me or anything?" She asked him, looking unsure.

Dark chuckled. "No. I just want to take you back to the fountain so I can get back to someone already." He inclined his head, "Hold on to me and we'll be there in no time." Pausing, the fairy hummed a low note, then did as told. Dark was racing from the alley before she'd even had time to seat herself.

* * *

Link had gotten himself into trouble, it seemed, before the test had ever truly began. When he'd given Zio the sword, he hadn't expected Jim or, well, anyone else to see. But especially not Jim. Because, unfortunately, Jim couldn't quite see it as a deal making kind of thing. To him, it was nothing but a bribe. It had taken ten minutes to get him to stop shouting, "That isn't fair!" and another five to pull him off Zio, who, in Jim's eyes, had helped Link cheat.

So here he stood, watching as Zio and Jim bickered and the other children just shook their heads.

"Don't worry about it." Honta whispered to him. "Jim is just a big jerk sometimes. Awful hard-head, 'yanno? Zio'll calm 'im down." And Zio had, eventually, gotten the boy in the red bandanna to stop creaming.

"I knew hiding in that tree was a good idea." Jim grumbled. "No I know who I gotta keep a better eyes on!" His stare was fixed on Link, but he and the somber eyed Zio both knew who he was addressing. "But...," Jim continued, looking annoyed. "I guess you did find all the others fair and square. And it's not like you're going to be a full-time member anyway..."  
Humming, Jim began to pace, and Link resigned himself to another bout of childish reprimanding. But The Bombers' leader suddenly looked quite a bit happier, and when he turned to Link with a hungry look in his eyes, everyone held their breath.

"Link, I think we can overlook this little 'incident.' But only if you teach me how to use that sword!" The boys went quiet, eyes focused on the sword in Zio's hands, but Link could feel it, could almost hear the bubbling excitement all around him. So when Lex let out an indignant, "Me too!" And Kaz butted in with a, "If he gets to so do I!" Link knew he had to escape. He'd had quite enough for one day, and all he wanted was to curl up with Dark at Anju's inn.

"Alright, alright, I'll teach all of you." He said. "But I'm really tired and I'm sure your parents are going to be wondering where you guys are. So give me a day or two to rest and I'll teach you all I know, okay? At the loud chorus of applause and excited yowls he got, Link knew he'd won these children over. He only hoped they would be able to help him after all the trouble he'd gone to.

Slowly the boys said their goodbyes, each making their way home in separate directions. Kim was the last to leave, and with a critical eye he bid Link a good night and then left. The blade in Links hands felt cold, and he wished he'd just left it with Zio.

But it was fine, it was all fine...

Yawning, Link turned to leave north Clocktown as well, thoughts of Dark shrouding his mind as he trundled on. Just where had the shadow been all day?

As he exited the clearing, a faint, pink light appeared before him. At first he had no idea what it was. But it seemed to be growing from a pinprick to a lantern, and when he finally realized it was a fairy, a heavy weight was already bowling him over.

'What? Fairies aren't heavy!' Link, who had landed on his back, peered down at his chest, at the disgruntled fairy and finally at the Keaton, Dark, who promptly licked his face.

"Hey, Link! Didja' miss me?"

"Hardly." Link retorted, but his tone was playful. Dark lapped at his cheek once more and then stood.

"So I bet you wonder where I've been all day, huh?"

"Sort of. But I've been pretty busy myself, so it's not like I was pining or anything."

Dark, looking disappointed, shook his head.

"Well you'll have to tell me all about it later, because I have something I want to show you."

"Does it have something to do with the poor fairy on your ear?"

Said fairy had long since fainted, her body collapsed over the side of Dark's skull. The Keaton scoffed, one of his tails waving in the darkness.

"Oh, she's fine, just had a bit of a rough ride here. I've been looking for her all day, or, at least I _hope_ I was looking for her all day. But yes, she's part of the surprise. Follow me!"

Confused, Link followed Dark across the clearing, past the fence he'd seen earlier that day and over a small hill bank that opened into a dark crevice. Wind howled inside, making the cave seem alive. But Dark knew just how dead it was.

"What's in there?" Link asked him, looking like he'd really rather not follow as Dark bounded inside.

"You'll see, you'll see. Just come on."

The Deku scrub hesitated, but followed nonetheless. Dark led them through the darkness, the tiles, and the silky curtains, then stopped when they came to the dead fountain. It seemed worse off than it had been earlier that day, what with the crumbling limestone and the stagnant water.

Link gasped at his side, mouthing the name of the Goddess of fire, but staying otherwise quiet. Fairy fountains, after all, did not just _die_. No, he knew that it took great power to do something of this caliber, and what with the way Dark seemed to just amble about without a care in the world, he knew that the Keaton had no idea just how terrible this was.

Dark walked into the dying water of the fountain, turning his head this way and that when he reached the center to drop the fairy off. She slid from his scalp, dropping into the water with a wet splash. Dark watched as she bopped on her stomach like a dying branch, and then, without warning, a pulse shivered across the room.

Like a heartbeat, Link wondered, this fountain really was living thing.

From the fairies body a pink light spread outwards, rippling over the water and the warriors and the walls. The sparkling lights on the walls reappeared, shuddering like nerves under electricity. The water warmed beneath Dark, and he ran from the pool to avoid whatever happened next. Because as he hit the tile, the fairy in the water _exploded_, and the room glowed brighter than the sun.

The warriors, shielding themselves from the magic, did not see the fairy twist and turn in the air, morphing like some horribly mutated _thing_. She expanded and bubbled like water as the room pulsed with life, sparkling like stars and comets as it breathed. Like a trickle from a well the fairy returned to the fountain, and all the darkness that had devoured the purity of the water returned, glowing a hot pink before shining like a mirror.

As the light faded and the room sparkled in pristine health, Dark and Link uncovered their eyes and marveled at the power they had just witnessed.

"And you made her faint." Link finally said, looking to Dark like he was some crazed being.

"Had to get her here somehow." The Keaton simply said, and Link shook his head.

The water bubbled once, twice, and then erupted, showering the room with a liquid so pure it seemed to sparkle with the grandeur of the heavens. A giggle echoed about the room, and the warriors titled their heads back to take in the being before them.

The Great Fairy of Magic, to be precise.

* * *

Sorry it was short, but I've been insanely busy. Make sure to keep up with my profile page to know the next chapters release date! Thanks for reading!

_Reviews Are Love!~_


	9. VI

I'm posting this a day early because I have testing for the next couple days and won't have the time to be online. There's probably a few mistakes in this, so just let me know if you see any please! Also, the last couple chapters have been pretty boring in my opinion, so I tried to spiff this one up and put a lot of good things in it. I hope you guys like it!

**Disclaimer:** Legend of Zelda and it's characters do NOT belong to me. The little plot devices and the writing itself do.

**Warnings: **Moderate Yaoi; general weird.

**

* * *

****A Wandering Soul Precedes All Darkness**

_**Chapter – VI**_

_**Title - Cured**_

* * *

"_I must say, I knew I'd be seeing a pair of great warriors sometime soon, but you two aren't exactly what I had in mind. You're... not human, for one."_

The Great Fairy of Magic hovered in the air like liquid, her hair fanning out behind her in a gravity-defying fan of tendrils and braids. It shone like fairy dust, sparkling in the shimmer of the fountain and the constellations on the wall. She wore a scandalously skimpy outfit for someone of her position, but perhaps it was just the fact that so few ever came to see her that she cared little for how much she covered. Nonetheless, Link knew without looking that Dark would be completely entranced by this fairy and her appearance, so he didn't even bother himself with looking. Instead, he said, tentatively, "We're warriors of Hyrule, on an adventure to tie up loose ends and to find new possibilities. On our way here though, we were attacked by an evil imp who transformed us into, well, what we are now. At the moment we're trying to find him, and to reclaim an item he stole. If we can do that, someone has promised to change us back to our original forms."

"And then we can get moving again, back on the road. Preferably, the road straight out of Termina."

Link glared hotly at Dark who only shrugged. "You know me, I can't resist putting in my two cents."

"Anway," Link continued, biting back an exasperated sigh. "Dark found your fountain in ill condition and took it upon himself to go find the fragment you were missing."

"_I see... so you did hear me. I was beginning to wonder..."_

"Well if would have helped if you didn't speak in riddles." Dark grumbled, turning his head to glare at the wall in heated embarrassment. The Great Fairy chuckled at him and hovered closer, reaching out with wide, feminine hands to stroke his ears.

"_I apologize, Keaton child. I wasn't in the best of mind at that time. You see, I too was attacked by the evil imp of which you spoke."_

"What? No way! How could someone like him, well, you know, destroy a fountain like _this_?"

The fairy scowled, leaning back to sit aloft in the air._ "I wasn't expecting him or his power. And what power he did have... I do believe you two have underestimated him, though, just as I had, and that is why you are in the shape you are now. That is why my fountain was destroyed, and that is why I must thank you from the bottom of my heart for restoring my home."_

"Do we get a reward?" Dark asked eagerly. Link popped him hard on the head.

"You don't just ask the Great Fairy for a gift, you moron! Have some manners, would you?"

The two began to bicker about Dark's lack of respect, and the Great Fairy watched them fondly. These two, they were the ones. She knew it, and she didn't even have to see their true forms to know. But in the back of her mind a nagging began to grow, and she wondered just whom the one that had promised their cure had been.

Not just anyone had that kind of power, after all.

"I _will_ bite, don't you tempt me, Link!" Dark suddenly growled, and the Great Fairy was broken from her thoughts to find the Deku Scrub and the Keaton fighting a very awkward battle. Neither seemed very accustomed to their bodies, and even less so when it came to fighting in them.

They were clumsy as kittens the way they toddled about, nipping and smacking at one another. The sword Link had carried into the fountain lay forgotten on the tile, and when Dark began to howl in pain (the fairy noted that Link was tugging his ears viciously), the Great Fairy made a noise of irritation and clapped her hands together, gaining the two warriors' attention once again. They growled at one another a final time, then guiltily stepped apart like children awaiting a firm reprimanding.

"As I was saying, I thank you. Silly children that you are, however, I don't think a reward is what you need right now. Perhaps... a bit of advice?"

"Advice?" Dark repeated, sounding just the slightest bit dejected. "You can't just change us back to our original forms or anything?"

"_I suppose I _could_."_ The Great Fairy said with a nod, sounding thoughtful. She folded her hands neatly under her chin and leaned forward, billowing in the air until she lay parallel to the ground. _"But wouldn't advice be better? I've always had a knack for that sort of thing, if I may say so. I could tell you where the imp is, and then you could retrieve whatever it was he stole and could get your cure. It would be a waste if I cured you myself right now."_

"But how are we supposed to fight him when he's so powerful? I mean, we can hardly fight each other! We'll be destroyed, and we don't have time for training. It's _hopeless_."

"Dark, don't be so pessimistic."

Dark rounded on Link, his ruby eyes glittering angrily in their sockets. His ears were folded down and a growl began to gurgle in his throat. "Look, you. We can't fight Skullkid right now. Not in these... these... feeble bodies. I won't let us charge into his midst only to die. _I won't let him hurt you_."

Link, silenced, sighed. He seemed to consider what had been said, and then shook his head in defeat. Turning his eyes to the fairy, who was smiling faintly at the two of them, he said, "I know it's a lot to ask, but it really would be a great help to us if you turned us back. I'm a lot more capable with a sword as a human, and so is Dark. And the imp, whose name is Skullkid, by the way, will never be expecting it. We'll have an immediate advantage, and then we'll be able to put him back in his place with little trouble. So please, if you could... would you turn us back?"

"Pretty please?" Dark added, trying to sound sweet. He'd never been very good at such a tone, though, and instead it only made the fairy chuckle.

"_I am more than capable, you should know that. And you two did return my fountain to it's living state, we can't forget that."_ She paused, enjoying the worried expressions of the two warriors. _"I will turn you back, and I will also try to pinpoint 'Skullkids' location. I believe I owe you two that. You won't let me down, if I do these things will you? Will you drag Skullkid from his rising pedestal before it soars too high?"_

"We will." Dark and Link breathed in one singly, simple uttering. In unison they sighed, looking at the fairy with eyes of desperation and determination.

She really didn't have a choice, not when faced with such circumstances as these. Dark and Link were probably the only ones capable of taking on this evil, and if she didn't help them here...

_'The fall of Termina, should it happen, would be all my fault...'_

"_Come closer warriors of Hyrule, let me heal you." _

They did so, shuffling into the water as she directed. The Great Fairy of Magic rose in the air, spreading her arms wide. Her hair began to shift behind her, rising and falling in a very lifelike manner. The fairy began to murmer words in a strange language, one neither Hero knew, and all around them the water in the fountain began to bubble and hiccup, rising and sloshing in waves around their ankles.

The fairies pitch rose and so did the water, surging in a great wave that seemed quite impossible to engulf them all, sharpening into a diamond-like prism that began to sparkle in earnest.

The bottom of the fountain reflected a forest green light, and as it did so, Link's Deku body began to shimmer. Dark watched as what was left in the bottom of the fountain rose to swallow the blond up, surrounding him and blocking him from sight. It twisted and turned, coiling over itself like a nest of snakes until it shattered like ice, revealing the still shining form of the Link Dark remembered and loved.

Against the tile of the fountain, the sound of wood resonated.

Link blinked against the harsh light around them, then stared down at his hands. They were human, and he flexed them briefly before his face lit up. Dark's heart wavered when Link directed that smile at him, and he couldn't stop himself from wagging a tail or two.

"You have no idea how good I feel right now." Link laughed, flexing all the muscles he'd forgotten he'd had. He stroked his cheeks, patted his arms, and prodded thoughtfully at his hat. Inside the hat lay the forgotten Tatl, and she napped soundly away, unaware of the actions and happenings around her.

But perhaps that was for the best.

Dark tried to edge closer to the blond Hero, even though he knew at that moment in time there was no way he could take him in his arms and hold him. That realization alone froze his heart, but before he could dwell on it the water beneath them shifted into a murky ebony, snatching him from the fountain as it rose.

He strained to breath, then found that he already could, that the water itself was feeding him air. He heaved a grateful breath, then clenched his eyes shut as the light around him began to grow. It illuminated the dark water and pierced his body, the light coming to life within him. In a way, he felt like a plant of sorts as he shed the Keaton's form, once again becoming the man he'd been just a day or so ago. The water lowered him back into the fountain and the Great Fairies chant died away. With it the water returned to it's position in the fountain, quieting beneath them.

Dark heard the noise he'd heard before once again, the clatter of wood against cold tile. He wondered at himself for a moment, relishing in his body, and then stared at the wooden face at his feet.

A mask, a Keaton mask. It lay at the toe of his right boot, and he stooped to pick it up.

It pulsed against his palm, and as much as he wanted to throw it as hard as he could against a very hard wall, he found himself tucking it into the side of his tunic.

He turned, satisfied, and stopped still.

Link was standing there staring at him, eyes open and innocent and just... just... so welcoming.

Dark couldn't have stopped himself even if he'd wanted to. It didn't matter that the Great Fairy herself was standing her their midst, a bemused look upon her face as she descended.

Dark threw himself at Link, circling the man with arms he'd missed _so much_.

He hadn't meant to, he really hadn't, but before he could help himself he was kissing the poor blond Hero, his arms thrown tightly about the mans neck as he claimed lips he hadn't felt in what felt like an eternity.

Link's arms circled his waist, but it wasn't to hold him tighter, to bring him closer. He was grasping at the back of his tunic and yanking, trying to pull him off. Dark pulled away, nipping once or twice to make his mark.

Link pouted at him. Dark ignored it. The Great Fairy let out an awkward cough and scratched idly at her neck.

"_Well, I'm glad to see you have such... fervor. I take it that means you are quite grateful."_

"Thank you, Great Fairy." Link said, and his smile, for the first time in awhile, reached his eyes. Dark thanked her as well, blowing a kiss.

Link scowled.

The Great Fairy looked amused as she sunk closer to the fountain. Her billowing form had stilled quite a considerable amount, and Link wondered how much energy and magic it had taken to restore them. He took a step towards the paling fairy and nearly tripped over something. He bent to look and found a very sad face staring back at him.

Tenderly, he picked up the Deku Scrub mask and held it in his hands, running deft fingers over the mourning eyes.

_'Why does it look so sad?'_

He sighed, tucked it away, and walked to the fairies side. "Are you okay?" He asked her, wanting to, but not quite placing his hand on her shoulder. She nodded weakly and said, "I am fine. But I am still weak from Skullkids attack. That spell took a lot out of me." She into Link's sapphire eyes and smile faintly. "I can't use any more magic right now, but if you come see me first thing tomorrow morning, I'll be happy to tell you exactly where Skullkid is."

"Thank you." Link whispered, and he meant it.

A few minutes later, with their goodbyes and final thank you's, Dark and Link left the fairy fountain in favor of Anju's inn. Their hands were coyly entwined, the result of so much time without touch or affection. They hadn't been able to back in Kokiri Forest, back when they'd been mere children amongst children. It had felt wrong to do more so than hug, so they'd waited and waited.

And now that Dark could finally touch his Hero once more, however shyly, he relished in it.

* * *

Anju's Inn, according to a sign nailed firmly by the door, closed it's doors at eight 'o clock sharp. It was easily nine-thirty by the time the arrived, and the two warriors stood before the door with weary, exasperated faces.

"Does this mean we have to sleep outside again?" Dark said sleepily, rubbing his eyes. He wouldn't have minded if they did, but he'd really been looking forward to sleeping in a real bed.

"Let's look for another way in first. Maybe someone left a window open, we can sneak in through there and be out before anyone else wakes up. They'll never know we were there."

So they found themselves scaling the side of the building, using loose boards and each others shoulders to reach the roof. There they found, not an open window, but a door. Link approached it cynically, "Don't expect it to be unlocked, that would be too good to be-"

The door eased open as he turned the knob, and the words Link had been about to speak died on his tongue.

"Looks pretty unlocked to me." Dark snickered, ambling in first. It was dark inside, the hall they entered leading to a dead end and a staircase. They didn't really know what to look for, or which rooms were empty or not. It would have been a bit of trouble if they'd chose one at random only to find it occupied by, say, a sleeping couple.

"I say we just go for it." Dark grumbled. He was tired and itching to get his boots off. Not to mention that the sooner they were asleep, the sooner they would wake.

And the sooner they would be able to track down Skullkid.

"We can't just barge into someones room, Dark. If we upset someone Anju will have to kick us out."

"You don't know that."

Link rolled his eyes, "I think it's safe to say that she would."

Regardless, Link squared his shoulders and chose a door a little away from all the others. Pressing his ear against it to listen for signs of life, he set his hand on the knob and twisted slightly, opening it just a crack.

_'What's the deal with all these unlocked doors? Is burglary not an issue here in Termina?'_

At first, Link saw nothing. To him, the room looked pretty empty. But after taking about two steps inside, there was a snort from the corner of the room, and Link felt his stomach fall to his feet. He froze, holding up a hand to stop Dark from following him into the room, and then he waited, holding his breath.

Had the person heard? Were they going to scream for help, scream a cry of bloody murder?

Instead of anything of the sort, there was another snort, and Link interpreted it as a raspy snore this time. He cocked his head, straining his eyes, and found that the person in the corner, a man, held a bottle in a very loose grip, his head thrown back against the wall. He was slumped backwards in sleep, the moonlight from a port overhead casting him in a few small rays. Even from here, Link could see the drool running down his chin.

But he was asleep and that was all that mattered.

"C'mon," He said, leaving the room and it's drunken inhabitant hastily. "We'll try another."

Two locked doors later (Link and Dark alike had breathed a sigh of relief at the final show of security) they found an empty room embellished with a single bed and a small table. They weren't looking for luxury, so it suited them well.

Dark tottered towards the bed in a very zombie-like nature, curling into the covers like a kitten. He was asleep before Link could even remove his boots.

The bed was soft and cool to the touch, and it welcomed Link heartily as he stumbled into it. There was only one pillow and Dark had it tucked beneath him, so Link pulled the shadow close, using his chest as a resting place instead. The man sighed in his sleep, pulling the blond closer and nuzzling his hair.

It was the warmest he'd been all day, and Link fell into sleep much quicker than he'd thought possible.

* * *

The next morning, at precise turn of six-fifteen, the two Heroes left the Inn, making the bed they'd ruffled up and closing the door firmly behind them. It was as if no one had ever been there in the first place.

By seven they'd made their way back to the Fairy Fountain, and once there the fairy told them that she'd already tried to pinpoint Skullkid's location, but it had been a tad foggy. But after a few minutes and a couple more spells, she managed to find something.

"_You'll need the help of this towns children." _She said, and while Dark had no clue why they would need the aid of kids, to Link, it made perfect sense. He nodded eagerly while the fairy continued to mutter to herself, nodding in thought. She was trying her best to pinpoint where the target was, and finally she said, _"There's an observatory to the south, watched over by an old man whose name I do not know. He has a mechanism there that I think shall aid you greatly. Your search should start there. On another note," Her tone became serious, less whimsical. "I advise you two not to dally. Something tells me that this entire matter should end as quickly as possible. I've got a very bad feeling about this imp."_

So as quickly as possible they left the fountain, thanking the Great Fairy and bidding her a good day.

"_Off with you, off with you." _Were her final words, and with that she returned to the peaceful flow of her fountain.

Link led them through the tall grass towards the field he'd spoken to The Bombers in. He hadn't expected them to be there so early in the morning, but when they emerged from the grass he could see Zio and Jim arguing over who got to use Links sword first. It wasn't until he'd nearly called out to the tiny Zio did he remember that the boy would not recognize him.

"Uh-oh." He mumbled, scratching his chin. He had no clue what to do, and he really didn't want to go through another round of hide and seek. Dark raised an eyebrow at him.

"What are you worried about all of a sudden?"

"Those are the children we need to speak with." He said, pointing at The Bombers. "That's where I was all day yesterday, with the children. They have an organization called The Bombers, and they let me join. They're pretty much a peace-aiding society of children. Pretty funny, huh?"

"Hilarious." Dark mumbled. Link thought he caught a hint of jealousy.

"I'm sure they'd let you join, too. But anyway, they won't recognize me as a human. And I can't just walk over them and say,_ 'Hey, I was the Deku Scrub you played with yesterday. Say, could you tell me where to find a guy named Skullkid?' _They'd think I was crazy!"

"Not if you turned back into a Deku Scrub." Dark said, and Link could see in his eyes that there was something the shadow knew that he did not.

"What are you talking about?" He asked him. "You're not suggesting I go find Skullkid and ask him to turn me back into one, are you?"

"No." Dark shook his hands, chuckling to himself. He pointed at the Mask tucked into the side of Links tunic. "That mask came off when the fairy changed you back. What if... when you put it back on, you change back?"

"And whose to say it'll come back off afterwords?" Link grumbled. He certainly wasn't looking forward to returning to the fairy that way, asking for yet another cure. Dark shrugged.

"I'm not saying anything. Just try it. I mean, it's just a theory. It probably won't even work. And if it does and you can't get it back off, then I'll put mine on too and we'll be even, okay?"

Pausing, weighing the costs of being trapped again in a body that wasn't his, Link sighed and said, "Fine. But if it doesn't come off, you're also going to be the one to tell that Great Fairy that it was your idea to put them back on in the first place."

"Deal." Dark said. "Seal it with a kiss?"

Link blushed. "There are children here."

"Oh, don't worry. All they'll see is your back. Besides, you could pass for a girl."

Flustered, Link went to punch Dark in the face but found his hand pulled to the side, trapped to the shadows waist. "It was only a joke." The shadow amended, and before Link could say anything further, Dark was mumbling something about deals against his lips, and he had no choice but to kiss him.

It wasn't supposed to be anything more than a simple deal maker, but now that he had the opportunity, Dark couldn't help but want more. He pressed forward, nipping Links bottom lip and then sucking it into his mouth, humming in satisfaction when Link pressed tighter against him. He threw an arm around the blonds neck, using his free hand to cup Links jaw, to smooth a strong thumb over his cheek. Link reciprocated by wrapping his arms loosely around Dark waist, holding them together and the shadow continued to ravage his mouth, running his tongue over tongue, teeth, and gums.

When at last they broke apart, both their faces were flushed and Dark gave a satisfied groan.

"I missed that." He said with a wink. Link would have elbowed him if he hadn't missed it as well.

"It's a deal then, good sir. Now, put on that mask of yours and see what happens."

Link grimaced, pulling the Deku mask free of his waist. As he held it in his hands, staring into empty caverns that somehow made his heart resonate in a pang of sadness, he decided to just get it over with and quickly brought it up to his face.

He prayed that nothing would happen, prayed that when he pulled it away that it _would_ come away, and that it wouldn't be stuck there. A terrible image of himself in human form with the silly mask on nearly made him wrench it away, but a sudden flash of light had him pulling it closer instead. For the briefest of seconds he could see Dark staring at him, wide-eyed, through the large eye holes in the mask. But then the world was exploding in a flash of light, and the next thing he knew, he was back in the form of a Deku Scrub, staring up, up, up at Dark's tall figure.

He blinked. Dark stared back at him, perplexed. "I gotta tell you, Link. I really wasn't expecting that to work." And the shadow only laughed as Link kicked him in the shin.

Link left his sword with Dark, heading off in the direction of The Bombers. When they caught sight of him, their faces lit up and they swarmed him madly, inquiring about the sword and when their lessons would start. Link chuckled and shook his hands, "Later, guys, I'm still a bit tired. But I _will_ teach you, don't worry."

"Are you sure you really know how to use one?" Jim asked him, looking just a bit suspicious. Link assumed he was only disappointed that the lessons wouldn't be started at that time, and he tried to smile as best he could in his form.

"I'm an esteemed warrior, so yes, I have pretty good skills when it comes to swordsmanship."

"Alright." Jim sighed, walking away with his hands in his pockets. "Everyone just go back to what you were doing then." And with that he retrieved a blow gun from his shorts pocket, aiming it at a balloon Link had only just noticed.

"So, Link," Zio began, stepping up to him. "What did you come here for?"

"I need your help." Link replied, deciding to cut right to the chase. Zio raised an eyebrow.

"My help? What could I possibly do?"

"I'm looking for the imp you guys were talking about. He's, ah, stolen something really important from a an acquaintance of mine. I have to get it back at all costs, and I thought maybe you guys would know where he was."

"Well..." Zio said, cupping his chin in his hand. "I don't know an exact place, but when I talked to him yesterday morning, he said something about the Clocktower. I think it was along the lines of, _'My favorite place here in Clocktown is the Clocktower.' _So maybe you should look there?"

Link nodded, but inside he was disappointed. He somehow knew that Skullkid wouldn't be ambling about the Clocktower. Instead, he asked, "Say, do you know about an observatory in the south?"

Zio's face lit up. "The old observatory? Man, that place is the coolest! The old guy running it has this _huuuge_ telescope, and if you look through it, you can see all of Termina! And it's so powerful, why, I bet if I stood right here and waved, you could see me from all the way over there!" The boy paused, considering something, then said eagerly, "Hey, if you wanna find that imp guy really quick, just go to the old observatory and look through the telescope! You'll be able to see everything from there, and you're sure to see him, too!"

"Can just anyone go there?"

"No," Zio said. "It's only accessible through an old passageway beneath Clocktown, which is guarded by Tin." At the look of confusion he got, Zio added quickly, "Tin in a Bomber. He'll ask for a code if you go there; he's in . But since you're a part-time Bomber now," He winked. "I can tell you the code! It's five-one-three-four-two. Don't forget it okay?"

"I won't." Link said, committing the code to memory. Zio nodded at him, and a little ways off, Honta and Lex were calling for him.

"I've gotta go, so good luck, Link. I hope you find him, and give him a good punch for me, too, would 'ya? He disgraced the Bomber name!"

"I'll be sure to do that." Link smiled, then turned and ran back to the tall grass where Dark was laying. The shadow had his arms behind his head, his eyes closed. Link wasn't sure if he was awake or not, but he didn't want to rouse him if he was. He wanted the mask off, though...

Reaching for it, he put his hands where the mask would have ended had it not been connected to his face. The effect was immediate, and in a flash of color and a surge of power, he felt himself rising.

He was human again, the Deku mask balanced in his hands. He smiled at it, wondering at the new ability he had, and placed it tenderly inside his tunic.

He then reached for Dark, stroking the loose hair in his face away from his eyes. The shadow grumbled something, and then his eyes parted.

"Did you get what you needed?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

"Go where?"

"To East Clocktown."

* * *

Upon their arrival, no one questioned them, no one even looked at them. They were just another odd pair walking through this already odd town, and even though they could have passed off as twins or even brothers, Dark kept their hands entwined in a gesture of a more-than platonic relationship. He didn't care if they did take notice, and he cared even less of what they thought. Link was less sure, but he went with it. It's not like he didn't like the affection, after all. It was just a bit... troubling, at times. But in a good way.

When they found the boy named Tin, a shy, stuttering child that asked for their names and their affiliation with The Bombers, he took only a little convincing, and the short code, before stepping aside.

"Anyone that knows the code can get it. I hope you two got it the right way, though." He sighed, and as the two Heroes left him, Dark said, "Poor kid. All his friends are out playing around town and he has to guard this dinky little passage? That hardly seems fair."

"Maybe they switch?" Link suggested, leading the way through the corridor. Dark shrugged.

"Doesn't matter. He's still all alone."

The passage was tall but tight, and the two Heroes had to walk one behind the other to maneuver it. Link in front, Dark behind. The floor was flooded, making their boots damp as they trouped on. Dark could hear rats and other creatures scuttling in the darkness, and he pressed as close to the blond before him as he could.

In some places the floor fell away and the water was waist level, and Link wondered how children like Zio and Jim could walk through this hidden passageway. It made him worry.

Soon they came to a wall that led no further, and after walking around in the darkness, feeling for secret doors or switches, Dark tripped over a ladder and grumbled as he threw it against the wall. They didn't know if there would be anywhere to go once they reached the top of said ladder, but they climbed it regardless and found, to their relief, a ledge and a door. Light seeped between the cracks of the wooden obstacle, and Link reached for it tentatively. He didn't know what was on the other side, but he assumed that since it was light, that surely it couldn't be all that bad.

The knob twisted easily in his hands, Dark's hands fell upon his shoulder, and Link opened the door.

* * *

_Reviews Are Love!~_


	10. VII

OH GEEZ. I'm so sorry guys, you don't even know! About a month an a half ago my computer totally died. _Again_. So I had to send it in, and then they couldn't even _find _anything wrong with it. Urgh! And then I couldn't even think of what to write for this because I hadn't even looked at it for more than a month. So this chapter probably isn't all that great, but I wanted to let you guys know I was alive.

But don't get too excited just yet. I'm not quite back... yet... See, November is National November Writing Month, as I'm sure some of you know. This is my first year participating, and I really don't think I'll be able to balance this story and the few others I'm writing along with my submission piece. So, I probably won't update at all in November. But I might, so just... keep an eye out, I might surprise you.

Again, I'm really, _really _sorry and I hope you guys can forgive me. I'll try to make it up to you when I get back for real, okay?

**Disclaimer:** LoZ does not belong to me.

**Warnings:** Yaoi. Swearing. General Weird.

* * *

**A Wandering Soul Precedes All Darkness**

_**Chapter – VII**_

_**Title – The Calm Before the Storm**_

_**

* * *

**_

What lay beyond the door was a world of color. A rainbow tempest that splashed the walls and illuminated the floorboards, painting their faces a symphony of hues that had them blinking away at the suddenness of it all.

"Din almighty, not one step into the room and I'm already ready to leave. Let's hurry and get this over with." Dark pulled his hat down past his eyebrows, screening out the unwanted light, but was then faced with the daunting task of blocking out the horrid music filling his ears. He decided to ignore it in favor of stomping up the wrap around staircase that connected the upper level to the bottom.

Link walked into the room more slowly, taking his surroundings in as he too pulled his hat lower. He actually liked all the color because it reminded him of home somehow. But he figured that after awhile it would probably start to give him a headache. Or, worse yet, some sort of seizure.

Upon touching the brim of his hat, the little golden fairy he'd met in the cave with Skullkid poked her head out. He'd not spoken to her much since that day, and she'd even yet to tell him her name, but he wasn't in any hurry to ask her, either. Because, in a sense, they were enemies. Still, he let her occupy his hat and kept her a well-hidden secret from his shadow stalking partner.

_'The enemy of my enemy is my friend. ' _He reminded himself, and thus repeated the phrase like a mantra when she went on a rant about how slow he was.

"- and for all we know, Skullkid's already squashed my brother. For Din's sake, don't be afraid to actually _search_ a little."

"We're doing the best we can." Link griped, and with that said he promptly tucked her away and trudged up the staircase Dark had already taken.

At the top they found a man who looked liked he'd been expecting them, and, without a word, he took Link by the shoulder and had him stand before the giant telescope occupying the area. It looked more advanced than any he'd seen before, but as he peered through the scope, it turned out to be just as blurry as all the others he'd had the pleasure of looking through.

From their vantage point he could see the city in it's entirety, and even all the little people ambling about it. The booths, the homes, the birds flying overhead... but no sign of Skullkid. He pulled away with a grunt, shaking his head at Dark.

"I didn't see a thing."

The old man grabbed a crank on the side of the telescope and twisted it, angling the machinery upwards. This time he brought Dark to look through the lense, he wizened old fingers fumbling over themselves.

Dark had to lean down to see through the eyepiece, and after taking in the larger details, he scanned for the troublesome little imp they were searching for.

But nothing. He could see nothing, not a single sign of the little brat.

"Link, I think the best we can do for now is to just... wait, what the hell?"

"What? What is it?" Link crowded up against the other, reaching for the scope, but Dark pushed him away, growling.

"Why you little brat, I'll rip your freaking arms off!"

"_Dark_, what do you see?" Almost whining now, the blond immediately got the shadows attention, however gruff it may be. He was frowning, but moved just enough for Link to stand at his side.

"See for yourself." He grumbled, and Link did, his left eye screwing shut so he could focus with the right. At first he didn't really know what he was looking for, but it was safe to assume that, somehow, Dark had spotted Skullkid.

"He's should be up on the Clocktower." Dark added.

And indeed he was.

Link scowled and pulled away, the image of Skullkid taunting them, somehow knowing their exact location and motif, haunting him. How in the world did the imp know they were looking.

"I'll kill the brat."

"You've already said that, Dark."

"Yeah, well..." Dark waved off the grumbling old man, trying to brush away his intrusion. "I just don't want you to forget." He paused and frowned at the old man, who was almost shoving him towards the telescope. "What the hell are you doing, old guy? I've seen all I need to see. We'll be going now, alr-"

Unceremoniously, the man grabbed the shadow by both shoulders, wrestling him towards the scope and thus preventing him from doing anything but looking through it.

"_Watch_." He rasped, his voice gravelly and unused. Dark went limp in his hold, transfixed by what he was seeing. Link was left, once again, to watch as the shadows face began to change.

"I... what _is_ that?"

Before Link could ask this time, however, a high-pitched whistle overpowered the music in the room.

"What's going on?" Link shouted, mimcking the other two occupants in the room by covering his ears with the palms of his hands. Darks eyes were wide, obviously trying to tell him that something was definitely amiss, but the old man looked none-too concerned, his face completely calm. The Hero wanted to shake him and ask what the hell was going on, but before he ever had the chance, something collided with the earth outside, and all three of them were sent to the ground.

It seemed like the whole observatory shook, and with the way the telescope rattled dangerously in it's perch, Dark feared it would simply come loose and smash it's way through the staircase until it came to rest on the bottom level.

There was a tiny window perched high on the wall, and through it they could see a blue aura. As the tremors racking the ground began to wane, Link pulled himself up off the ground, reaching for a door he had not noticed until that moment.

"Link, you can't just walk out there, you don't know-"

The door opened, bringing with it a plume of heat and the echo of laughter in the wind. Link stood in the doorway, eyes wide, and slowly made his way out onto the balcony. Dark didn't waste any time following him, knowing that usually, when these kinds of things happened, it was best not to go alone.

And besides, what he'd seen hurtling towards them had been pretty shocking. Not to mention that it had come from the freaking moon itself!

_'I knew there was something weird about it... something isn't right about this place at all.'_

Outside, he found Link crouched over the black skid in the earth the projectile had made. His head was cocked to the side, deciphering what it was seeing.

"It... it's a tear?"

Dark walked up behind him, leaning to see over and into the muddled earth the intrusion occupied. It was, quiet literally, a tear.

A tear from the moon.

"This is what you saw?" Link asked him, reaching out for the thing. Dark almost stopped him, but even from here he could feel that the heat was fading fast. And Link wasn't _that_ dumb, he wouldn't pick something up knowing that it would melt his fingers off.

"Yeah, that's it. One second I was looking at Skullkid's cocky face, and the next he was pointing up at that freaky moon, cackling all the while. Then there was shine or something, and, well, this thing comes flying out of nowhere!"

It was roughly the size of a fist, and Link held it gingerly in his palms, cradling it like a fragile piece of pottery.

"It's so weird... cause it's not hot at all. You'd figure it would be..." He turned it over in his hands, observing his reflection in it's surface. His eyebrows furrowed. "Do you think that this is some sort of sign?"

"A sign of what?"

"I dunno..." Link hefted himself up, wobbling a little on his feet. "The best I can come up with is that, well, it's a tear from the moon, right? Well, what if the moon is in pain?"

Dark blinked. Link flushed.

"It sounded better in my head."

"Yeah, I bet it did. I mean, the moon is just a _rock_. It can't feel pain and emotion."

Shaking his head, Link slipped the stone into his pocket. "You're just not looking at it the right way, Dark." He said, and with that he slipped past the shadow, who frowned at his back.

_'There's only so many ways you can look at it, right?' _Dark snorted, annoyed._ 'It's just some random rock that broke off the moon. It means nothing, no matter how silly it sounds. We're just thinking too much.'_

Regardless, he hurried after his Hero, nodding a farewell at the oddly sated looking man that watched the two leave.

* * *

When they re-entered the town, the first place they visited was the Clocktower. Link had suggested that maybe Skullkid would still be lurking about, and if they hurried, they might be able to catch him before he ran off again. But when they got there, he was no where to be seen, and everyone they asked only gave them odd stares at their description of the little imp.

"Can't say I ever saw anyone that looked like that." A guard told them. But he brought a hand to his bearded chin, stroking, and said, "There's a Scrub guy that lives near the Clocktower, though. If anyone was to see 'im, it would be that guy."

So they returned to the tower, searching for the mysterious 'Scrub guy'. Unfortunately, the couldn't find him, either.

"Why is it that whenever we're looking for something, it turns into some big endeavor?" Dark said suddenly, looking annoyed. The sun was hot and his mouth was dry. Not to mention that he hadn't had a thing to eat in days. When he was unsated, he tended to complain quite a bit more than usual, and this was no different.

"I just keep hating Skullkid more and more each minute. Din forbid we actually find him, 'cause I get the feeling I'm going to be merciless with that one." Dark went on to describe various forms of torture, but quit with a grumble when Link told him to shut his yap.

"You're only complaining because you're hungry, so relax. We'll find Skullkid, and you can do whatever you want. Although, hopefully be then you'll have come to your senses. You can't rip someones arms off and beat them to death with them, by then they'll have already passed."

"Not if you're quick." Dark griped, but Link silenced him with a firm glare.

They stopped to rest by a shallow pool of water that led under the city. In this one spot, they were secluded, but at the same time they could see a large portion of the square just by turning their heads. Dark removed his boots and dipped his feet in the water, much to Links annoyance.

"You know, they probably drink that water."

"A little sweat never killed anyone." Dark smirked, but he scooted back and pulled his feet out of the water. Link turned his head to hide the smile on his face. Somehow, no matter what they were doing, Dark always wanted to make sure he was happy.

"Think we'll find him?"

Link pondered on that for a moment, weighing the situation at hand on a mental scale. When he really thought about it, well...

"Honestly, I don't even know... But for now, all we can do is hope."

Dark nodded and let his head fall back, fixing the moon overhead with his ruby eyes.

Somehow, he wasn't surprised to see that it was ten times closer than it had been the night before.

* * *

Later that day, somewhere around noon, the Scrub guy showed up of his own accord.

Or, rather, he descended upon them like a bird of prey, even going so far as to sqwuak at them in his own harsh language.

"You're on my property, you hooligans! What do you think you're doing here?"

He propped himself up on the flowering flora Link had barely spared a glance. It had just been sitting there, feeding off the water Dark had dipped his toes into. He'd assumed it was just some weed, and had even thought about tearing a few of the leaves off to fan himself in the midday heat...

"I own this here plant, and this watering hole as well, so if you don't mind, I'll have to ask you to leave."

"Well hey, 'ya snooze 'ya lose, scrub. You'll just have to find someplace else." Dark turned his nose away from the creature, who promptly removed it's makeshift hat and stomped the cobbestone ground.

"I beg your pardon? I told you I own this area! I will only ask you once more to leave of your own volition before I ask the assistance of guards!"

Dark was about to say something more, probably along the lines of something terribly rude, so Link interjected by clapping a hand over the shadows mouth. "We'll just be leaving." He said, smiling sheepishly. "Just forget we were ever here, alright?"

"You just forget you ever found this place, kid." The scrub grumbled, glaring at Dark as Link tried to drag him away.

"Let's not bring unwanted attention to ourselves, Dark." Link growled.

"Oh, c'mon, Link! He has to be lying! You can't just own some random flower in town, it makes no sense!"

The scrub, who has turned away from them to re-affix his hat to his head, turned back to them and howled, "I'll have you know that my wife and I-"

The two warriors waited, wondering why the scrub had suddenly gone so quiet.

"I think I broke him." Dark snickered. Link rolled his eyes.

"Oh, _no_." The scrub yowled, falling to it's knees in a dramatic display of well-practiced hysterics. Link and Dark could do nothing but watch helplessly as it began to sob, clawing at it's eyes with knobbly fingers. "I knew I'd forgotten something! Oh, when she finds out I forgot our Anniversary of all things! I'm _doomed_!"

Link looked to Dark, who shrugged. "The old ball and chain, huh? I almost feel sorry for him."

The scrub, who appeared now to have some sort of enhanced hearing, stopped it's hysterics to stare wide-eyed at the two intruders. He pointed at them, tears streaming down his face.

"Please, do you have anything of value on you at all? A trinket I could buy, perhaps? Please, if my wife comes home and finds out I have nothing for her, I'll... she'll..." He burst again into tears.

"We don't have anything but that tear thing." Dark whispered, cupping his hand to Links ear. The blond nodded.

"I know. But hey, what could it do for us? Besides, maybe we can actually use that flower for something..." The blond turned his head to stare up at the clocktower, and then back to the flower. He grinned to himself.

"Hey, we do have something you could have, actually. I think any wife would love it."

The scrub raised its eyes to them once again, wiping away tears. "R-really? You have something she'd like?"

Link reached into his pocket and produced the moon tear, which, much to his delight, immediately caught the scrubs attention.

"That's one of the rarest stones you can find in Termina! How in the world did you get it?" He pegged the warrior with an intense stare, probably hoping Link would divulge the exact location, that way he too could search for the ascertained 'rare' stones.

"Let's just say _it_ found _us_." He said, and unceremoniously deposited it in the scrubs outstretched hands. "You can have it for free, it's not like we paid anything for it." Link knew that if he could see Darks face, he would find an expression of complete horror. He could almost hear the whine building in the shadows throat.

_'You can't just give stuff away like that!'_ Link chuckled, that was definitely something Dark would say.

The scrub, who looked like he'd just won a bar of gold in a game of pick up sticks, shook his head in disbelief.

"There's no way I can just take this, even if you two _did_ intrude on my land." At the mention of such, he promptly brightened. "Say, speaking of land, how would you two like the deed to this humble little plot? Scrubs don't need much space, anyway. And besides, the wife and I can always find something better with the cash we'll get off this little gem!"

He turned and busied himself with digging through his belongings, leafing through the flower and it's roots. Dark rolled his neck and fixed Link with a glare.

"Did he just say... cash? Link, we could have made a fortune off that thing!"

"You don't know that." Link scoffed. "Besides, what is money here anyway? We don't need to buy anything."

The scrub returned with a worn sheet of paper clasped in it's hands. Link took it and read the deed, nodding to himself. The scrub looked ready to go to war with the satchels and packages tied firmly to it's waist. He looked impatient, hopping from one foot to another whilst Link read over the paper.

When he was done, Link nodded and pocketed the title. "Pleasure doing business with you. A gem for a deed, a good trade, don't you think?"

The scrub fought back a laugh, knowing fully well just what the gem would be worth to his own people. He'd be living the good life for a long while with the helf of that gem. His wife could have _ten_ Anniversary presents now.

"A fair trade indeed." He said, and with that, he took flight, the wings affixed to the back of it's head propelling it into the air.

Link and Dark watched him go, the shadow glaring all the while.

"We should have kept the damn thing."

* * *

In the time that had existed but had never been, on an adventure Link had, but hadn't, had, he remembered coming across a different type of Deku Scrub. A more feral, aggressive kind. He remembered how they would lay in wait in their flowers, listening for the echo of footsteps above ground. And, once they heard them, they erupted from the earth to shoot at whoever, or whatever, was approaching.

Similarly, he could remember seeing them fly straight out of them, soaring into the air to fly away on the current of the wind.

He figured, different times, different land, same principle, and pulled the Deku Mask over his face.

When his body had changed and he'd adjusted to the feel of it, he toddled over to the flower and burrowed into it surprisingly easy. He supposed it was just the instincts of the mask taking over, which had him reaching for a few loose pedals.

And when he finally sprang from beneath the ground, he felt lighter than the air itself. The wind carried him effortlessly, held aloft by the large petals in his hand. He wasn't sure how it all worked, but it did, and that was all that mattered. Far below, he could see Dark staring up at him with wide eyes, and he would have grinned if he could have, but the wind was beginning to pick up and it took all his concentration to focus on the task at hand.

With the clocktower in sight, he urged the wind to carry him to the platform. It did so, and, with little hesitation, he found himself standing in the sealed doorway of the towns clocktower. The door, he knew, would not open until tomorrow. That when the festival began, it would descend and all the townspeople could pray to their Gods at the alter.

But what of Skullkid? Surely he wouldn't let something like that go untroubled. He'd be in the thick of it, causing as much mayhem as possible... Link knew that for certain.

"Link? You alright up there?"

Down below, Dark was craning his head backwards to stare up at Link. The scrub waved and hopped back down, drifting like a leaf from a shedding tree.

"Looks like we have a way to get up there whenever we want to now." He said, looking immensely proud as he pried the Deku Mask off his face. Dark cocked his head.

"Why would we need to get up there? It's just a platform, nothing special about it at all."

Link shrugged and realized he must have seemed pretty airy today, what with all the strange events taking place. "I'm not sure, but somehow, I just know that it'll be useful. Just think, the old man, the tear, the scrub guy, and now a shortcut? Everything is leading to something else. And really, all we can do is follow the steps until we reach Skullkid."

"_If _we reach Skullkid." Dark added, unsatisfied until he'd had his pessimistic two cents added.

"If we reach Skullkid." Link agreed, playing along despite himself. "But we _will _find him, so don't worry about it. I've got a good feeling all of a sudden... like everything is going right."

Dark blinked at him, then raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. Link raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"You never say stuff like that, Link." He pinned the blond with a serious stare, his garnet eyes undaunted. "You've doomed us, I just know it."

And at that time, neither of them knew just how right Dark was.

But they'd find out soon enough.

* * *

I apologize again. _Profusely. _-Sobs-

_Reviews Are Love!~_


	11. VIII

I'm back from the world of NaNoWriMo! It taught me so much, and yes, I did win! Yay! When the book itself is finished, I'll probably tell you guys more about it, but for now I'll just say this... it's about zombies. Haha.

Let's see, let's see... I wrote this chapter in two hours. BAHAHA. It's part one of, check this, a double update! I'll be posting the next chapter immediately after this. Consider it a gift to you all, seeing as how it's the holiday season. I don't know who celebrates what though. So, uh, have a nice day?

Some serious weird goes on in this chapter... just be aware that I've got it all covered! And I'm messing with certain things on purpose. I think.

Also, if it isn't too much trouble, could you take the time to answer the question on my poll? It's about what the pairing is in my next story.

Anyway, I'll shut up now.

**Disclaimer:** Legend of Zelda is not mine. I'm not making money, I'm still poor! Fun!

**Warnings:** Mild yaoi. Swearing. Some violence. General Weird.

* * *

**A Wandering Soul Precedes All Darkness**

_**Chapter - VIII**_

_**Title – Rhapsody**_

_**

* * *

**_

In the empty silence of the night, the minute hand struck twelve. The mechanisms inside the large clock centerpiece meshed and clanged, striking the large metal plate to produce a sound so deep and rich that all the creatures in Termina could hear it. As far out as the ocean, where broken hearts lost all hope, and the last, shuddering breath of a noble Zora man ran ragged and silent. In the forsaken land of the Valley, where the spirits of the dead ran rampant in the night, and a man trapped in a child's body unintentionally broke his lovers heart. Where the Deku Scrubs thrived, an innocent life was brought to an end, just as unnecessary as the death of the one who caused it. High above it all where the snow fell and quietly smothered the frozen wastelands, a hungry, freezing Goron met his end. A child's cries began to cease. A wounded spirit disappeared in shame.

And, in Clocktown itself, a young woman waited calmly and patiently, despite the now obvious end coming upon them all. A mother sobbed her grief for all the world to hear. A mayor stood at his window, eyes wide, watching as the moon slowly, but surely, fell. Two men, strong and brave, stood at the alter to the Clocktower and watched with bated breath as the heavy stone steps began to fall into place. The clock continued to chime, despite the gruesome face staring down upon it, unaware of the pain and terror in the hearts of Termina's citizens. Because, even as they hid themselves away, they knew that there was no where to run.

The end was upon them.

"Let's go."

* * *

Skullkid was waiting for them.

His back was turned, his arms raised, eyes blank and hollow as they stared up at the moon. Something about him was despairing and weak, but at the same time, the aura of anger and rage was unmistakable. Above him the moon fell unhindered, ready to crush the world beneath it.

It took everything Link had to keep Dark back, to keep the man from bashing Skullkid's face in before they got any answers. His anger was like fire, lashing out, feeding on the wind stirring past them.

"Wait, Dark!" The blond ground out, holding him back by his forearm. "We're here to get the mask back, we'll bruise him a bit afterwords, but _please_ control yourself!"

Skullkid was unaware of the turmoil going on behind him, but the vibrant purple creature buzzing by his head let out a cry of alarm when he saw the two warriors coming closer and closer.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" He asked them, only to be answered by a voice he felt he hadn't heard in ages.

"Tael!" Tatl, long forgotten and rude, scurried out from beneath Link's hat, surprising not only the blond Hero, but Dark, whose eyes widened, and then narrowed.

"You brought her here with us?"

"I had to, she can help us!"

"She hasn't done a thing, yet! If she had, I would have known by now that you had let her join us."

"I couldn't have just left her all alone, that's her brother! They were separated, and she doesn't mean us any harm. And besides, she's from Termina, she knows what we'll be dealing with if we leave Clocktown."

Looking unconvinced, Dark rounded on his smaller counterpart to teach him some sense, but Tael's voice interrupted them, surprising them all.

"Look, Tatl, things are getting out of hand here, you three have to leave, you have to run away _now_! Skullkid is _gone. _His body is still here, but it's just an empty shell. That mask he's wearing, the one he stole from the merchant, it... it's _alive _and it's making him do things he would have never done before!'

"I hope that includes making the moon fall." Dark growled, crossing his arms. "Why should we listen to you anyway? You're the one running around with him!"

Tatl turned and thrashed dangerously in Dark's face, her color so vibrant it was nearly white. "That's my brother you're talking to! I'll pluck your eyes out!"

"Hey, now, there are more important things to be doing than fighting right now." With his hands raised submissively, Link tried to persuade the others to stop arguing, but in the end, it was a screech from Tael that quieted the group.

"All of you! Shut up and listen! You have to leave Clocktown, you have to go and find the four giants! They're the only ones who can stop Skullkid from destroying Termina."

"Do you hear yourself?" Dark shouted back, "Giants? Seriously? The moon will have us all dead by the end of the _hour_! If you think we can go out and find a bunch of giants in time, then you're crazier than Skullkid himself."

Tatl made to scratch at him once again for yelling at her brother, but Tael's voice turned somber, "I don't know how you're going to do it. Or if you even can. But _please_, at least try. For Termina and it's people. For me, for yourselves!"

"It's too late."

An icy chill hung heavy in the air, raising the tiny hairs on the name of Dark and Link's necks as they raised their eyes to meet the stare of two large, golden ones. Tatl and Tael huddled closer together in the cold, gazing fearfully at the estranged Skullkid and his flexing, claw-like hands.

"It's too late." He repeated, head twitching oddly, body trembling like a leaf. His voice was strained and foreign, nothing like his usual high-pitched tone. And though he couldn't see his eyes, his true eyes, Link felt the creatures cold stare on him. "I see you got your bodies back." A hand raised, a giggle, so different from the inane laugh of the real Skullkid, broke the waxing silence upon them. "Looks like I'll have to remedy that."

Before any of them could act, a dark, purple light broke from the clouds above, spilling down on the two Hylians. It wrapped around them, squeezing tight, morphing and crushing them in an invisible grip too strong to break free of.

Link felt something slip from his pocket, heard the clatter of glass on wood, and managed to open his eye just enough to see the Ocarina of Time skid away from him. His heart sank, then rose again in terror as the breath was wrenched from him. A light filled his eyes, burning and acidic, and the howl that tore itself from his throat was out before he could stop it. At his side, Dark suffered a similar fate, twisting and writhing in agony against the purple light, floating just a few inches off the Clocktower platform. His ribs felt like they there tearing their way out of his chest, his bones melting and breaking and stabbing him from the inside out. He felt that it would never end, that this was truly the end, and even as his body hit the platform once more, the pain didn't stop. It continued to hum through his skin like an angry lightning bolt, searing his blood and the very fiber of his being as he curled up on the Clocktower platform and clenched his eyes tightly closed.

At his side, Link was worrying over him, his own pain a steady beat at the back of his mind, but fading fast. Once again he had found himself in the body of a Deku Scrub, and Dark as well had reverted to his Keaton form. But then... why was he still in pain?

"Make it stop... please..." A shout of pain left the ebony-haired man, and all Link could do was caress his cheek and turn his head, glare at the creature watching them so passively.

"Stop it!" He shouted, "Stop hurting him!"

"I'm not the one doing that." The imp cocked it's head, seemingly interested, but at the same time, a perfect picture of nonchalance. "Sounds like he's dying."

The ground rumbled beneath them all, shaking the tower violently. Skullkid let his head fall back, gazing up at the moon that, at this point, seemed close enough to touch. "Doesn't matter." He said idly, "We're all going to die soon anyway."

Link bit back the tears and the pain he felt, but his heart was strained, overcome by the suddenness of it all. An hour ago, they'd been so happy, so glad just to be alive. They'd felt strong and sure, and couldn't wait to leave the land of Termina behind... But now...

"Link... It's not too late..." Voice weak, breath ragged, Dark opened his ruby red eyes, tiny chest heaving, "Get your Ocarina, I have an idea."

It took everything he had to abandon Dark, but he knew that there wasn't much time left. He felt like the clock was winding down, a gear stuck that would, once applied enough pressure, simply explode. The Ocarina lay by Skullkid's feet, and much to Links surprise, he took a step aside to let him grab it. "Won't do you much good anyway." He said, giggling his acidic laugh once more. "I'd say we have another," With a glance up to the moon, he nodded, "perhaps another minute more."

Tatl and Tael hung limply in the air, their flimsy wings drooping. There was nothing more to do but watch and wait, unsure of just what exactly it was the two Hylians were planning. When Link found his place at Dark's side once more, the man was too weak to open his eyes. At first, he appeared dead, scaring Link half to death as he patted his face with his free hand and called out to him.

"Dark? I have the Ocarina, so please, _please_, tell me, _please_ don't be dead."

A gurgle was all he got in reply, a groan following it soon after, until finally Dark managed to say, "It's name, Link. It's name."

And then, with a keen of pain, Dark's body went still and cold.

Once more, just as he had back in the days that no longer existed, Dark Link had passed.

The shock of it had Link reeling, screaming in pain as he clawed at Dark's Keaton fur, shook him violently, begged him to come back. The Ocarina lay at his side, dropped in his haste, and above him Tael was weeping quietly in fear.

A laugh, harsh and cold, was dancing in the air, mocking them all as the ground began to rumble. Buildings began to tremble against the force of the moon, crumbling and fraying, falling. Link could hear the screams, could feel the pain, and it was in the last ten seconds of Termina that he realized just what exactly Dark had meant.

The Ocarina of Time, named rightly so, gave the user complete control of time itself. With it, time had no meaning. With it... Link could turn back the clock. Or, at the very least, he hoped he could.

Hastily he brought the mouthpiece up to his lips, only to find that it had transformed in a flash of light into a set of pipes. If he could, he'd have rolled his eyes, annoyed suddenly by the events of the night. Everything was weird, and wrong, and strange. And just so... sudden. Dark was dead. The world was closely following it, and here he was, in the heat of it all, playing his final song.

How he played, Link had no clue. He had no experience playing such an instrument, and yet, somehow, he found the notes quickly coming to him, flowing from his lungs like a reflex.

The song of time.

Skullkids laugh hung in the air, slow and warped, mocking him for eternity. The heat from the moon was heavy on the top of his head, on his back, threatening to snuff him out like a light. Tael's sobs faded into the night. And all of it was drowned out by the crisp, clear notes from the Pipes of Awakening. The song of time seemed to envelope him like a warm hug, pulling him and Dark and Tatl to safety. Down a vortex of memories that Skullkid could never follow them down. Blood ran heavy in his ears, and soon, the with one final, drawn out note, the song ended.

Link blinked.

Dark was standing at his side, smirking, ruby eyes bright and clear and _alive_. Looking down on himself, he saw that he was human once more, and that the instrument in his hands was the Ocarina, not the Pipes, and that he was shaking like a cat drenched in ice water. But Dark, he was there! He smiled, a tiny laugh escaping him, and then the world vanished as he passed into darkness, supported by two strong arms and a voice that whispered, "Good job, Link."

* * *

The whisper of water and voices was what woke him. One angry and one calm, one very close and the other far away. Groaning, he tried to turn or sit up, but found he was still too tired and weak to do so.

"Looks like he's coming to."

"'bout time."

"Oh, shut up, fairy. I'd like to see you save the world a time or two and still be conscious afterwords."

Despite the pain in his chest, Link couldn't help but chuckle a bit at the banter in his ears, and when a cool palm touched his face, he found he could open his eyes once more. Dark's garnet eyes stared down at him, an eyebrow raised high, smirk in its usual place, "'bout time."

"Hey!"

"_Both of you quiet yourselves. Link is trying to sleep."_

"'m fine." With a bit of help from Dark and a lot of effort, he managed to sit himself up, but opted to keep his arm around the shadow's neck for support. Beneath him he could feel the push and pull of water, but he'd already realized that they were in the Fairy Fountain. Still, he was confused as to _how_. "What happened? Did Skullkid get away?"

Dark shared a glance with the Great Fairy, who hovered close by. Lips pursed, she said, _"The easiest way to put it is this... none of what you saw and did last night ever happened. What should be your fourth day in Termina is now, once again, your first."_

"So... that would mean all the people we met, all the items we acquired, are gone as well?"

"_I'm afraid,"_ The Great Fairy said, _"that, yes, everyone has forgotten you. It's as if they never met you. When you come across them once more, in their eyes you will be a perfect stranger. As to your items, I'm not so sure. You still have those, after all."_

Link followed her gaze to the mask at his waist, tucked into the belt on his tunic to keep it close at hand. Blinking, he ran the pads of his fingers over it, ensuring himself that it really, truly, was there. It was just as real as the ruffle of Dark's hand in his hair, "Hey, don't let it get you down. At least you get to keep your memories, right?"

Right, but... why? "How _do_ we remember? I mean, if it never happened then..."

"You are the one who played the song of time, and as the wielder of the ocarina, you are immune to its power. Dark and Tatl as well, since they were brought back by the song as well."

"Wait, so, that would mean everyone else, all those people, Skullkid, Clocktown-"

"_All of it. Destroyed. Your path split from theirs, and while you returned to a world that has another three days to live, that one in particular met its end. Does that make sense?"_

Sighing, Link nodded. His thoughts were muddled and his head throbbed angrily, but he was beginning to remember what had happened. How Skullkid had laughed, had seemed genuinely happy that he was ending them all...

Raising his eyes, he saw the familiar floating ball of golden light that was Tatl, "I'm sorry about your brother. I wish we could have brought him back as well."

Tatl let out an irritated scoff, but said nothing. She didn't want to fight, but at the same time, she was positively _livid_. Her brother, even now, was stuck following around Skullkid, doomed to endure his torment until they could save him. But when and how, she had no clue. It wasn't even her decision, it was all up to whatever Dark and Link decided to do. And that did nothing to help her mood. Being so helpless... Close to angry tears, she darted past the other three inhabitants of the fountain and left, needing the space and the warm dawn that was about to break over Clocktown and its people.

"_I think,"_ the Great Fairy began, _"that you three need to begin thinking about your next move."_ She became quite serious, twisting her body in the air to settle in a seated position, fingers steepled beneath her chin. An inquiring eyebrow raised, she said, _"What _are_ your plans? Or is it too early to ask?"_

"All I want to do," Dark growled, "is go home."

"_So, you just want to run from all your troubles?"_

"We don't _have_ any trouble here, thank you." Dark said. "Now that we're human again, there isn't any need to stay. And getting that mask back from Skullkid is proving to be way too troublesome. Why stay when we can leave?"

"Dark, we can't just leave Termina to die."

"I _died_ up there, Link!" The pain in Links heart returned ten-fold, the aches and woes in his muscles threatening to cripple him. He'd almost forgotten that, or, at the very least, he'd tried to. But, he couldn't ignore Dark's selfishness, his urgfe to leave was almost, in a way, cowardly.

"We can't leave. It wouldn't be fair."

"This place had been bad luck from the beginning, Link. We were turned into a couple of worthless beasts. Skullkid kicked our asses. And we had to consult children of all things for help. Not to mention, just in case you've forgotten again, that I died. Why? Why did I? I was just fine until we got up on the platform, and then everything we had worked for went to shit once again. We just... we need to leave! There are other places to explore, Link! Let Termina _go_!"

"_Even if you leave, you will still die. The aura of death surrounds you like a thick fog." _Completely serious, utterly somber, the Great Fairy failed to flinch under the twin looks of disbelief and pain she received. _"Do not ask me what it is that ails you, because I haven't a clue at this point in time. But no sickness can stand against magic as powerful as mine."_ She smiled wistfully, but before Dark could harass her, the corner of her mouth quirked up into a smirk._ "But my magic comes with a price. I healed the two of you the first time free of charge. After seeing how eager you are to leave though... well, I have no choice but to use any means possible to keep you here. It is, after all, a part of my job to keep Termina safe."_

"You can't be serious." Laughing, Dark turned his head to stare at Link earnestly, "She means to trap us here! She's using my death against us!" He laughed, but there was anything buy joy within it. Link turned his big blue eyes on the Great Fairy, "What would you have us do?"

"_First and foremost, I apologize. It is not usually in my way to use such tactics, but serious times call for serious measures... Regardless... as the most powerful of the Great Fairies, I can feel their presence even though we are so far apart. It is because of this that I have recently discovered that I can no longer feel my sisters at all. I fear the worst, being that Skullkid has turned his cruel magic on them as well." _

The two warriors knew where she was going with her words, and sighed as she said, _"I want you to go to them and offer any help you can. If they have been stripped of their powers, help them retrieve them. Only then can I offer you the cure to your illness. Do not think ill of me. You never know, perhaps your sickness is so strong that it will require all five of us to heal you?"_

There was a reminder of a time that hadn't existed, of an adventure that had promised to be just as long and painful as this upcoming one, that made Link pause before he agreed to the terms shown to him. He had hoped to leave Hyrule for freedom and adventure. But now, he felt that all he was going to be getting was the adventure. His freedom was in the hands of Termina, not his own. And just as always, he had no choice. Complaining wasn't an option, not that he _really_ felt like making a fuss, but at the same time...

Regardless of everything, he would make the decision himself. It would not be forced upon him, and it was his alone to make. Not the Great Fairy's, not Dark's, not Skullkid's. His own. And his own was telling him that Dark's life was much more important that any kind of pride.

The ruby red eyes boring into his own could almost read the thoughts behind those aqua eyes. He didn't need to hear the words Link was about to speak to know just what their next move would be. Honestly, he shouldn't have been surprised. Dark shook his head, sighed, and listened quietly as Link said, "We'll go and find them for you. Wherever they may be, and when we've helped them all, we'll return and you will heal Dark. Right?"

"_Correct. Though, seeing as how you will only have three days..."_

"I can always use the song of time to send us back, there's no need to worry about matters of time."

"_And you'll be leaving... when?"_

Link turned his head to Dark, who shrugged.

"It isn't like we have anything to do here. Though... we should probably go talk to that creepy salesman guy first, I'm sure he'd like to know that we kind of... you know, failed to get his mask back?"

A shudder ran through the both of them, each equally frightened and disturbed by the eccentric merchant. But they couldn't just leave without letting him know what they were up to. Who knew what he'd do if he thought they weren't coming back... Besides, Link thought, he seemed to know a lot more about the situation that they did.

Dark laughed suddenly, "Hey, at least we don't have to worry about him leaving on _us_ instead! This whole, 'taking over the time-line' thing is pretty handy."

"Wait, we forgot something. If no one remembers us, neither will he. That means he hasn't asked us to go and get his mask yet! Meaning, we don't have to pay him a visit at all, we're free to leave whenever we want!"

"That's pretty selfish, coming from you, Link. I see I'm finally rubbing off on you." Dark smirked, his expression more lecherous than proud. Link pushed him away, face flushed, trying to ignore the flash of heat just beneath his skin. "The Great Fairy is watching, you moron."

"_The Great Fairy indeed. You two might want to get a move on. Three days, regardless of whether or not you can go back in time, can go pretty fast." _She tried to hide her amused smile behind her long-fingered hand while the two busied themselves with leaving. Link was soaking wet from the water in the fountain, not to mention dizzy and disoriented on his feet. It appeared that time travel wasn't exactly easy on the one casting the song of time.

There wasn't much left to say or do, so the two warriors quickly made for the exit, eager for the sun outside. And to find Tatl, wherever she may have been. But before they could leave, the Great Fairy suddenly called out to them, "Wait! I have something for you."

Ushering him off, Link made his way outside in a stumbling lurch while Dark doubled back. At the edge of the fountain, the Great Fairy came close and took both of his hands in hers, bestowing a brief, chaste kiss upon his forehead.

"H-hey! What the hell?" He backed away, trying to hide the blush on his cheeks while simultaneously trying to look offended.

"That will draw the broken fragments of fairies to you. It might come in handy." Dark pulled a face, looking incredibly insecure, then turned and quickly jogged away, escaping the laughter and the warm smile on the Great Fairy's face.

Outside, the morning sun was bright and warm, chasing the chill of nightfall away with flexing fingers. Link was comforting Tatl as best he could in his tired state, leaning against the fence surrounding the entrance to Fairy Fountain. When Dark appeared at the mouth of the cave, he looked to him and asked, "What did she have to give you?"

In his haste to leave, he'd failed to look at the object that had been placed in his hands. And now that he did, he found his eye twitching in disbelief. Link cast Tatl one last apologetic look, leaving her to sit on the fence while he went to stand by Dark's side.

"What is... it? Oh. Wow."

It was a mask crafted from the finest materials, shimmering gently in the light. Set into the forehead was a hot pink gem that pulsed with magic, "That must be what draws the fairies to you." Dark said, turning the mask over a bit to examine it.

"What?" Link raised his eyebrow, "It makes fairies come to you?"

"That's what the Great Fairy said." Dark grumbled, pulling Link close. The blond stuttered, looking over to where Tatl was watching their actions with an almost condescending glare. "Oi, whatever you're doing, save it for later. We're right out in the open, if you hadn't noticed."

"Oh, I noticed." Chuckling, Dark cupped the back of Links head with his free hand, his other wrapping around his waist, drawing Links thin hips as close as possible. The blond could only accept the kiss Dark placed upon him, all warmth and passion, sweet and tender. Link let his eyes flutter closed, turned his head to edge closer, and moaned quietly as Dark brought their hips together.

And then, quite suddenly, a weight settled on the band of his tunic, and Dark was pulling away with a wink and a smirk. Confused, Link twisted and looked at his hip, grimacing when he found the fairy mask tucked there.

"I wouldn't be caught dead carrying that thing. Looks good on you though." With another wink and a quick kiss on the cheek, Dark was whisking him away, dragging the irritated, pouting and blushing Link behind him.

Tatl shook her head, but stood and stretched, wings flashing in the sunlight. She raised her eyes to the brightening sky and frowned sadly, praying that someday soon she and her brother would fly free beneath it once again.

With that image in mind, she took flight, darting after the squabbling pair she'd gotten herself stuck with.

* * *

Double update next!

_Reviews Are Love!~_


	12. IX

I would have made this longer, but I was writing on commercials. When the movie ended, I lost my motivation, haha. This is the double update chapter, and my gift to you all. I hope you like it!

Also, like I mentioned last chapter, some weird stuff going on. I'm well aware. This is my way of making my Majoras Mask unique compared to all the other ones on the site. Just try to cope with it for now, everything will be explained eventually. Although, if you read my fic _Imitation Is The Sincerest Form of Flattery_, you can probably figure out what's going on.

**Disclaimer:** Legend of Zelda is not mine. I'm just as poor as I was five minutes ago!

**Warnings:** Minor yaoi. Violence. Some swearing.

**

* * *

****A Wandering Soul Precedes All Darkness**

_**Chapter – IX**_

_**Title - Premonitions**_

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* * *

**

It came familiar to him in a confusing muddle of images, a brief flash of light that made him double back in a moment of déjà vu. The push of water and waves, dragging him back and forth from the edge, pulling him to a moment of finality. To death. The pain he'd felt, caused by nothing and everything in particular, threatening to break his very soul itself. Great bellows of laughter and vivid amber eyes, a grip on the core of his being, overwhelming and strong. A voice so familiar, a hand so familiar, a presence so familiar...

And a name, one that the old people of Hyrule had shuddered at the very mention of.

A voice, echoing in the back of his head...

… _I told you myself that I would return, that your body belonged to me_...

No...

… _I created it for only two reasons after all_...

Please...

… _The Goddesses gave you three days, and you failed_...

Why...

… _Your body is __**mine**_.

Stop!

_Dark!_

Sucking in a deep breath of air, Dark shook his head, nursing his skull against the raging headache rampaging behind his eyes. He'd drifted off for just a moment, lost himself in thought and began to daydream, unaware of anything and everything going on around him. But... he'd gone too far, and what he had found was nothing short of terrifying.

Because that voice had belonged to Ganondorf.

Link, at his side, looked just as worried as he had up on the platform, back when he had feared Dark's life was at stake. But... perhaps it actually _was_.

"Are you alright? I've been talking to you for a good ten minutes now, don't tell me you haven't heard a thing I've said." Looking concerned as always, Link put his hand on the shadow's shoulder, rubbing into the muscle gently. "Feel sick?"

"I think I'm alright, just tired." And annoyed, but he kept that to himself. They'd been ambling about Clocktown for the better part of the morning, trying to decide just where to go first. The guards offered little information, and for the most part proved to be a group of morons. High overhead, the sun grew hotter and hotter, making him sweat beneath his charcoal tunic. And now, of all things, he had voices in his head. Great. Just great.

They were somewhere in south Clocktown, ambling about with no clue as to what to do next. With the Great Fairy's request in mind, not to mention the impending doom above them, the trouble of the people, his own death, and Tael being MIA, there was much too much to be done. And, at the same time, no way to go about doing it.

What were they to start with? What had more importance over everything else?

"Oh, no."

"What?"

Link pulled Dark aside, hiding them in the shadows of the construction sight, ducking under the platform itself. Keeping a hand over Dark's mouth, Link pointed, directing his attention towards the Clocktower and, more importantly, the man standing outside it.

"Agh, you can't be serious! Why is he standing out there?"

"I... I don't know... But, doesn't he look like he's waiting for someone?"

They watched and waited, seeing if the Happy Mask Salesman would tire of his fruitless search and retreat to the dark, dank depths of the mill beneath the Clocktower. But much to their dismay, as five minutes, then ten, then fifteen went by, he didn't appear to be leaving any time soon. In fact, he looked quite happy to wait.

"I say we walk right on out there. Ignore him, don't look at him. I bet he won't talk to us if we don't pay him any mind."

"And if he does?"

"Well... we can always run, right?"

Tatl, having decided her rightful place was Link's shoulder, scoffed and shook her head. "You two are childish."

"Are you volunteering to be the one to go out and test whether or not he'll recognize us? 'Cause if you're interested, I'm not about to stop you." Tatl stuck her tongue out at him, tempting Dark to lash out to smash her, but Link grabbed his fist before he could and gave him a stern look.

"Stop fighting. Let's just... let's just go. What's the worst that could happen?"

Retreating from the platform, which resulted in them scaring the living daylights out a man carrying a large plank of wood and then having to explain in hurried garble of words as to why they'd been hiding under the construction, they managed to extract themselves from the situation and hung low in the square. If they just walked fast, Dark reasoned, there was no way the man would notice them. It wasn't like they stuck out all that much in the crowd. He cast around at all the plain colors and normal faces, people who were giving him the same curios stare proving that, hell, they stuck out like sunflowers in a field of grass.

And because of that, Dark wasn't really surprised when a sharp, "You three! Come here!" ordered them to halt and listen. Turning slowly, they came face to face with a very irritated, very angry salesman.

"Come with me." He growled, turning sharply on his heel. He marched away, and really, they had no choice but to follow him. Dark gave Link a worried look, but then settled back on his usual glare.

They were lead into the shadows beneath the Clocktower where the man rounded on them in a fierce voice. If he hadn't had such a funny face, Dark might have actually been worried. But with the sword on his back, he felt pretty safe.

"You two! I told you I only had three days to wait, and this is what happens? You've messed up the entire time-line, you fools!"

"Hey, it's not like we planned any of this." Link pouted, trying to glare but failing horribly. Dark made up for it by stepping in front of him a bit, shielding him from any harm.

"Look, Skullkid isn't a problem right now. As long as we turn time back before the moon falls, there isn't anything to worry about."

Silence met Dark's aloof reply, the Happy Mask Salesman staring passively at the man in the dark tunic. But then, quite suddenly, he snapped. Taking Dark firmly by the shoulders, he lifted him and began to shake, surprising them all with his strength.

"You fool! What would you know? The imp isn't the one we have to worry about, the _mask_ is! You must get that mask back! You _must_!"

"Put him down!" Tatl took to the air and started batting the salesman on the head while Link tried to tug Dark free, shouting and yelling for help. But the crowd growing around them could only stare, unsure as to what to do about these strange people and their even stranger argument.

But when all was calm once again and Dark's feet had been reacquainted with the ground, the Happy Mask Salesman had yet to give up.

"I _insist_. You must retrieve my mask, I don't care by what means, all I know is that, if you don't, we will _all_ die. Regardless of whether or not you turn time back, you can't do it forever. And this _will_ go on forever, my boy."

"Then we'll get your damn mask back, for Din's sake. Man, you're so annoying." Clearly displeased, Dark turned away and grabbed Link by the elbow, trying to lead him away. "Just leave us alone and we'll get your mask. Can't say I won't bring it back in pieces though..."

"And just how do you intend to go about this? Do you even know where you're at?"

"They don't have to." Sparkling in the midday sun, Tatl glared down at them all with her usual sneering smile, "I've been around Termina a time or five. I know the place pretty well. I say our best bet is the swamp, seeing as how it's the closest thing here."

"What? A swamp? Why?"

"Because," Tatl drawled, thinking it obvious, "the Great Fairy fountains are distributed equally about this world. There is one fountain for each point on the standard compass. To the north, east, south and west you will find one. And then here in Clocktown lies their leader, the Great Fairy of Magic. Anyway, since our primary goal is to go and find the other fairies, obviously we should start with the closest one. Thus, the swamp. Got a problem with that?" Her tone implied that, if they did indeed have a problem, they could stuff it and walk the issue off.

"She knows what she's talking about." The Happy Mask Salesman said, smiling his eerie smile. "I say you follow her instructions. But," His tone dropped a few octaves, "do not forget what I have said here today. Turn back time one thousand times, I do not care. But if I do not get my mask back, you will all face its wrath. Now. Good day to you all." Bowing at the waist, he gave them one last smile, but his eyes were dark and clouded, the smile itself more of a sneer. As he left, Dark gestured rudely at his back, his lip curling up in a grimace.

"I really, _really_ hate that guy." Dark growled.

Link, as passive and kind as he was couldn't help but add, "I must say, I have to agree."

And Tatl, arms crossed over her chest, only let out a noise of distaste as she landed on Dark's shoulder and seated herself for the trip out of town.

* * *

The guard standing under the sign to the swamp gave them all an odd look as they approached, her spear clutched loosely in her hand. People never really left Clocktown, nor did they often come in. So it was quite odd to see a group of... three, was it? Actually leaving? When they stopped before her, she stood at alert, back perfectly straight.

"Names?" She said strictly, her spear now held tight by her side, easily capable of impaling them on its sharp tip.

"Link."

"Dark."

"Tatl."

Humming, the guard raised the lid to her helmet and stared down at them curiously, eying them up and down. "You're not planning on leaving are you?"

"Yes, we are. We've got business in the swamp." The blond man smiled up at her, she instantly liked him. Manners had become quite hard to come by lately, especially with all the rumors flying around about the moon falling. Of all the silly things...

"Are you sure you want to leave? The festival is in a few days, you wouldn't want to miss that, right?"

"Look, Miss, we've gotta get going. So if you'd just, you know, step aside, we'd be ore than grateful."

Just as quickly as she'd liked the blond, she hated his dark-haired friend. He exuded a rude and pompous, and somehow, lecherous, aura.

"Well, I was going to warn you about all the monsters running amok outside, but if that's how it's going to be..." She stepped aside and 'failed' to salute them as they walked by, Link giving her an apologetic smile and Dark smirking at her, glad to finally be on the move once more.

Watching them leave, she saw Link punch Dark in the side, scolding him for being so rude. The guard shook her head, just as Tatl did, and went back to her post, hoping the rest of the people who happened to come by that day weren't as odd as the trio she'd just let by.

* * *

Words failed to describe how glorious it was to finally be back outside. Free to roam the grassy fields of Termina, and to explore the farthest corners they could find. It was a brand new world full of brand new creatures. New treasures, weapons and people were eagerly awaiting them. All they had to do was find them.

Dark stepped off the platform that separated Clocktown from the grass and the creatures roaming it. He stretched and threw his head back, sucking in as much fresh air as his lungs could take, then exhaled noisily, throwing Link a contented smile. It was lazy and cat-like, and Link made the mistake of smiling back.

Before he'd had the chance to object, Dark was upon him, wrestling him down into the grass. He was laughing and grinning like a madman, glad to be rid of Clocktowns huge stone walls and its tumultuous crowds. And, obviously, he'd been waiting for his chance to openly grope Link for quite awhile.

Still, that didn't keep the blond from clocking him on the ear, "Do you think of anything else?" He asked, annoyed but, at the same time, not exactly protesting.

Smirking, Dark leaned in close, "Nothing and no one, Hero."

They proceeded to kiss one another madly, further annoying the already agitated Tatl. She lighted down on the back of Dark's head, grabbing a handful of his scruffy ebony hair and tugging. He waved her away, ignoring her completely in his conquest of Link's mouth and body.

"Why don't you go prance around the field for awhile you little pest. Us adults have a few matters to attend to..."

Link made to tell him off and apologize to Tatl, but a sudden grope to a particularly delightful part of his body emptied his mind of such thoughts. So instead of hitting Dark with the fist he'd raised, he settled it on the nape of his neck instead, twining his fingers around the tangled hair protruding from Dark's cap.

"Guys..." Tatl crooned, attempting a different approach. Perhaps if she asked nicely...

The ignored her.

"_Guuuys_..." She drawled again, smiling sweetly.

Link let out a moan in reply.

"Dammit! Would you two cut it out already? The moon is falling. The fairies will only wait for so long! That creepy mask guy is expecting us! Let's go already!"

Dark was reaching for the hem of Link's tunic, ignoring Tatl's rant in favor of sucking the long expanse of his Hero's neck.

"Look!" Tatl gasped, "Skullkid!"

The desired effect was immediate. Link and Dark jumped away from one another instantly, stumbling and dizzy as they tried to regain their footing and take in all their surroundings at once.

"Where? I don't see him!"

Dark put a hand over his brow and stared down the rolling fields and plains around them, completely absorbed in finding any sign of a threat. Who knew what the imp would do to them if he showed up. But when a sudden bout of laughter rang out and both warriors turned to see Tatl laughing hysterically, they realized at once that they'd been tricked.

"Y-you should have seen your faces!" Cackling madly, she only laughed harder when Link began to blush furiously. He'd only just noticed the disheveled state his clothes were in. How low his breeches had fallen. Or, at least, how low they'd been _tugged. _Rushing to fix it, he stuttered a quick apology and turned away. Dark watched him with an almost despairing look, swatting Tatl out of the air as he moved away to adjust his own clothing as well.

As he stalked away, he growled lowly, "Little pest. Ruin all my fun why don't you?"

Tatl sneered.

With nary a threat and no sign of Skulkid to worry a lip over, they set off for the southern part of Termina, Tatl in the lead. Her presence there, for the span of a heartbeat, wavered out of place. Instead, all Link could see was blue. All he could hear was the friendly, almost irritating voice of a long-lost friend.

_'Where _is _she?'_

"Hey, what's that?"

Rolling his eyes, Link pushed Dark aside, "Not you, too!"

"No, really." Chuckling, the shadow pointed at a nearby tree stump. On its side was rather suspicious looking markings.

Dark continued, obviously intrigued, "Looks interesting."

"Don't get all excited. It's probably just a landmark someone put up, or a sign so you know where you're headed."

"Actually," Tatl interrupted, "it's a drawing." She took off without them,landing atop the large stump. Link and Dark, confused, followed her and crouched close-by to observe the supposed 'drawing'.

Dark chuckled, "Looks like a three-year-old drew it."

Sneering, he elbowed Link in the side. They'd both seen his pitiful attempts at drawing, be it to describe a certain sword technique to his partner, or a doodle of Epona, they hadn't exactly been the greatest presentations.

"You're one to talk. Your maps look like ant trails!"

"Well fine, I'll give you that one... But at least they still look better than this thing!"

"Hey!" The pair looked up, meeting the gaze of the estrange fairy looking down upon them. "Skullkid drew this the day Tael and I first met him! Don't make fun of it!" She turned away, frowning. Skullkid had been so different back then. All lonely and sad, not a friend in the world to hold him close, to laugh the weary days away with. On the day they had met... they'd all been down on their luck.

At Tatl's sudden brooding silence, Link grew concerned and reached to comfort her, but before he had the chance, she had already taken flight, buzzing just out of reach.

"Anyway, we shouldn't stay out in the open for so long. Rumor has it that the crows around these parts are pretty vicious. Bunch of mugging buggers..."

Link wanted to apologize, even if he didn't know what was wrong. To tell her that everything was okay, and that Tael wasn't really hanging around with the most dangerous creature in Termina. But she was already gone, twisting in and out of the thick trees bordering the entrance to the path to the swamp. But he promised himself that, at some point, he would definitely become the fairies good friend, and that whatever sorrows she was feeling, he was perfectly capable of dealing with.

For the moment however, all he could do was grab Dark by the elbow and lead him down the path before them.

* * *

Almost instantly, trouble was upon them.

From the hedges erupted a pair of Wolfos, snarling and angry. They made a beeline for the approaching trio, howling for backup in case their advances somehow failed. Claws digging into the dirt to propel them forward, Link and Dark had but a second to draw their swords and prepare for battle before the creatures were upon them.

Flesh met steel, biting and cold. A keening whimper filled the air as the first Wolfos fell, instantly downed by a strike through the heart. Link gave Dark a cocky smile, pulling his sword out of the bleeding mass before him.

The shadow was locked in combat with the second beast, slashing and parrying whenever an opening appeared. When it bounded forward, snapping at his face with gnashing teeth and wet, hot breath, he lashed out at its chest, but met only claw as the Wolfos used the blade to push itself away.

Link rushed to Dark's aid, swinging downwards at the beasts back to sever fur from flesh. The Wolfos howled in fury, spinning to rake its claws down Links thigh. The blond stumbled, but managed to block the next batting paw with the side of his blade. And while the beast was occupied with trying to chew Links face off over the side of his sword, Dark swept in to stab the mutt through the spine, snapping it clean in two.

The Wolfos slumped, falling numbly to the ground. Dark panted heavily, reaching to help Link up on his feet. He stumbled a bit, but was otherwise fine. Blood was seeping through the thin fabric of his breeches however, but Link waved it off, "It doesn't hurt, and I don't think it hit anything important."

"You got lucky." Dark grumbled, settling his arm around Links waist to keep him upright. "Damn, we're not even in the swamp yet and you're already hurt. Playing the part of damsel in distress, baby?"  
Link blushed, but his jaw was set in a snarl, "I killed my opponent just fine, thank you. If you weren't so cocky, you would end the fight as quickly as possible. Forget the fancy footwork, just slice them up next time."

Rolling his eyes, Dark grinned, "I'm just trying to impress my Hero, can't blame me can you?"

"Actually-"

A chorus of howls filled the air, alerting them to encroaching danger. It sounded like an entire pack of Wolfos, dead set on avenging their fallen comrades. The scent of blood was heavy in the air, after all. Nearly tangible in its strength.

"Well? Are you two planning on proving your worth to me? If you can't take on a few Wolfos, you can't help my brother, after all. And forget stopping Skullkid, that's way out of your league." Sighing, Tatl yawned, "I'm sure you two could find the fairies though."

"Oh, ha ha, very funny, brat. I'll have you know that I've taken on freaks one thousand times stronger than any Wolfos."

"Then you shouldn't have any trouble taking on a few mutts, huh? Good luck!" With that, Tatl flew away, taking shelter in a nearby tree.

_'Wouldn't want to _accidentally_ meet the wrong side of Dark's sword, after all...'_

Struggling through the trees, the Wolfos' drew ever closer. Reluctantly, Dark released Link's waist, but stuck close by just in case he needed something to lean on. But the blond looked completely fine, going so far as to smile.

"Just like old times." Grinning, he leaned in close for one final kiss, one that Dark easily granted him.

Breathlessly, Dark said, "'bout damn time."

* * *

Elsewhere, in the dimly lit throne room of a rampaging king, an innocent creature found himself drawing on the events of the last few days. How he'd just been having the usual outing with a close friend. How happy they had been, smiling and laughing, joking like the old friends they were. Celebrating a forbidden friendship, kept secret in the furthest reaches of the swamp.

How suddenly, everything had changed. In a swooping rush of claw and reptilian laughter, his friend was gone, leaving him with nothing but her final cry, "Go find help! Help!"

Yet when he had, they'd failed to hear him out. They'd failed to care, the only thing on their mind being a justice that could not be sought without the help of the very creature they were condemning.

So as the inhabitants of the room jabbed their spears through the bars of his prison and mocked him, swore at him, he turned away and prayed that someone, anyone, would find his friend before it was too late.

He also prayed that someone would find _him_ before it was too late.

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_Reviews Are Love!~_


	13. X

I apologize for how late this is. But I'm going to be honest, I'm pretty fed up with this story. There's almost nothing keeping me going, and I really just want to stop while I'm ahead. I'll try not to quit for now, but updates will probably continue to be slow. And if you guys agree that I should just quit, then I will. So yeah, tell me what you think.

**Disclaimer:** Legend of Zelda isn't mine.

**Warnings:** Violence, swearing, major yaoi. **There is smut in this chapter. If you don't want to read it, stop at whatever point you'd like. It's obvious when the scene is coming up.**

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**A Wandering Soul Precedes All Darkness**

**Chapter - X**

**_Title - The Potion Shop_**

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The Wolfos stood no chance against the two warriors, felled quickly by the swing and slash of sword, by the pair who worked flawlessly together, each covering the others faults as they fought. If Link were to lean too far over and leave his right side unguarded, Dark would dash in, sword at the ready, to destroy the beast that moved in for the opportunistic strike. It wasn't a long battle, but it felt like an eternity measured in blood and sweat, Link and Dark working as quickly as possible to end the wails and howls so as to prevent the arrival of more beasts. And it was with the last one to fall that Link finally sighed, throwing his head back as he breathed in great lungfuls of air, trying to catch his breath.

"Nothing like a battle to get the blood going." He said, swinging his sword to rid it of the blood rolling from it in great, fat drops. Dark smirked, "That's not the only thing that can get the blood flowing. If you'd like, I'd be happy to show you."

"Oh, shut up." While his words were without heat, Links eyes were serious. He wanted to get a move on, the pain in his thigh making him thirst for a potion. "Lets get going, I want to see what's else is on this road besides Wolfos."

Tatl reappeared as they began to walk, seating herself on Dark's shoulder. She patted his ear idly, "Good job, boys."

"No thanks to you. Even that annoying blue runt would have given us some helpful advice."

"Dark!"

The shadow fell silent immediately, eyebrows drawing up as he realized his mistake, "I'm sorry, Link. I wasn't thinking."

"It's fine. But don't do it again." He paused, dragging his heel in the dirt. "And don't speak of her so badly. She did her best..."

"Whose she?" Tatl whispered, feeling left out. But Dark shook his head, much to her annoyance.

Walking on down the path they met no opposition, that didn't keep them from sheathing their swords, however. Knowing that they were once more out in the path of danger kept their blood boiling, bodies ready to twist into yet another fight. But there wasn't anything to be fought, and at a sudden fork in the path they stopped and stared up at the sign.

It looked as if it had been written in child's scrawl, the lettering curving and twisting all over the wooden sign.

"Wow." Dark breathed, "Even _I_ can write better than that. And I don't even know _how_ to write." He laughed, elbowing Link, then pulled him in the direction of the swamp, ignoring the sound of metal striking rock down the other path.

Instantly, the scent of exotic flora and brackish water met them, the grass underfoot twisting and growing thicker as well. Animals and monsters alike cackled overhead, leaping from branch to branch, peering through the leaves to stare curiously down at them. Link stared back with just as much interest, never having seen animals with such long tails before. He wondered what they were, but didn't bother asking Dark, seeing as how he probably wouldn't know either. And Tatl wasn't exactly a well of knowledge either. So he stored the question away for later, hoping they'd eventually meet someone in Termina who was willing to speak in something other than riddles.

Farther and farther down the path they went, subconsciously moving closer to one another as the swamp grew darker, plants and ferns overhead growing so thick that the sun could not shine through. Tatl was their main light source for awhile, twinkling ahead of them in a ray of bright golden light. It probably pleased her to know that, for the moment at least, she was the most important member of their team. There was no saying just where they were going, or what they were looking for. But when the wet, flimsy ground began to suck their boots in a little too deep, they stopped.

"This is impossible. How are we supposed to get through the entire swamp? By swimming?" Dark kicked at a nearby plant, uprooting it easily. It landed with a wet slap on the ground not two feet away, splashing all three of them with vile swamp water. Link wiped his face clean and narrowed his eyes at Dark, "Was that necessary?"

"Maybe."

"I thought so."

Breathing out a long held breath, Link put his hands on his hips and threw his head back, staring up at the canopy above them with a contemplative pout. Eyes scanning everything around them, he found nothing that could offer any kind of help.

"This would be so much easier if I knew what we were actually looking for."

Chuckling, Dark shook his head in exasperation, "Giants and fairies, of course. What else would we be looking for? Something that actually makes sense? Din forbid."

A flurry of movement above them caught their attention, instantly putting them on alert. But the creature that poked its nose between the leaves of the tree it was in posed no danger. Its bright amber eyes blinked down at them as it cocked its head, and then, just as quickly as it had come, it disappeared.

"What was that thing?"

Surprising them both, Tatl actually spoke up, "That was a monkey." But just to put a damper on their moods, she couldn't help but add, "Any moron with a brain would know that."

"Are you implying that you're a moron?"

Realizing her mistake, Tatl made an offended noise and darted off into the trees, leaving them in the darkness with nothing but the glow of amber eyes and dwindling sunlight. Dark scoffed, dragging his heel through the muck once more before grabbing Link by the crook of his elbow, "Let her be that way, we'll find our own way through."

But when a single step forward had him sinking to his ankle, the shadow went still, "Or maybe not. Damn, this is getting really annoying."

"Maybe if we walk really slowly?" Link supplied.

"Or if we don't walk at all?" Dark groused.

Another voice completely chipped in as well, surprising them both. Dark and Link turned to stare at the newcomer, eye widening when they realized it was one of the monkeys they'd seen. It stared back at them, head cocked, making soft cooing noises as it tried to catch their attention. Once it knew it had, it turned and ran off into the swamp.

"What was that about?"

"It looked like it wanted us to follow it or something."

To prove this point, the animal reappeared, crowing at them in a high voice, nearly distressed as it hopped about.

"Come on, let's see what it wants." Link said, grabbing Dark's wrist as he trudged through the swampy muck, trying to keep up with the retreating creature.

It led them through the deepest of ferns and through foul-smelling water, over plants that had long since withered and flowers that were straining to reach sunlight. Once or twice they had to stop to fight off a rogue Deku Baba, teeth gnashing hungrily even as its stalk was severed. Without waiting, the monkey continued on, screeching when monsters drew near, its voice a trail they could easily follow when they became separated. Swords drawn, breath ragged, they finally came to a halt in a small clearing, the sun hidden by the canopy above. Turning, the monkey raised its arms and hopped a few times, keening at them. But for what?

A faraway scream rattled the branches around them, birds taking flight and shouting their annoyance with their rasping voices. The monkey disappeared into the brush as well, hiding itself. And Dark knew before he even turned his head what was about to happen.

Link's eyes were filling with concern, his inner Hero kicking into gear, "We have to go find out who just screamed. They could be in a lot of trouble!"

"Or, we could turn around and go back?"

But Link was already running down the path, uncaring of the thick weeds pulling and snapping on his leather boots. Sighing, Dark glared in the direction the monkey had gone, then followed suit.

It didn't take him long to catch up, considering the fact that Link had no idea where to go. Before them were three exits, each leading down a different path that carried them through yet another trio of exits.

"Who has time to make these kinds of things?" Link grumbled, hands on his hips as he nibbled his lower lip. Trying to decide which one led where, and which headed in the direction of the scream, he finally threw his hands up in defeat, "Let's just walk and hope we get there."

"Sounds like a plan," Dark winked, "After you!"

Taking off, they hurried through the swamp, feet sloshing, but not as badly as it had earlier. With all the packed down flora holding them up, the muck beneath did little to slow them down. It was because of this that they were ducking through overhangs much quicker than they would have thought possible. Though, with little idea of where they were headed, it was with a wary set of eyes that they cast around, searching for not only the one who had screamed, but the danger that had caused it.

Before long though, the pair was forced to stop, doubled over at the waist as they fought to catch their breath.

"Where... are they?" Link panted, looking to Dark for answers he didn't have.

"Beats me. I figured we would have found something already." Shrugging exhaustively, Dark straightened and stretched, readying himself for another sprint.

Another scream pierced the sky, this time carrying a single word, "Help!"

Link was gone before the word had fully formed, not caring to wait for his partner as he crashed through the thorns and bristles of the swamp.

And what they found, when Dark caught up once more, was an old, decrepit woman.

She had collapsed at some point, body thrown haphazardly on the ground. Cheek pressed to the grass, eyes blinking wearily up at them, she tried to pull herself up long enough to speak, but only managed to wear herself out further.

Link was at her side immediately, hands on her shoulders, speaking in soft words as he tried to keep her from moving. Dark, however, stood back, wondering why this old woman seemed so oddly familiar.

"Please, my sister... return to her... medicine... I need... medi..." Trailing off, the woman gave a shudder and quieted, a wheeze escaping her instead.

Groaning, Dark couldn't keep himself from saying, "That doesn't help us at all. We don't even know who her sister is!"

"I'll stay here, you go back and try to find her, alright?"

"What?" Blinking incredulously, Dark shook his head, "No. No way, I'm not leaving you all alone with some crazy old bat. Especially not in the middle of some Din forsaken swamp where who knows what is creeping about."

Rolling his eyes as he bundled the woman's clothes a bit, Link said, "I'll be fine, don't worry about me. If anything comes, I'll be able to fight it off. And trust me, I'd go with you if I could, but... But we can't just leave her here, you know?"

Thinking for a moment, fingers pressing deep into a temple, Dark came to a different decision, "Move." Knowing that what he was about to do was probably only going to trouble them further, Dark waited for Link to move aside and then scooped the old woman up into his arms, throwing her over his shoulder like a bundle of heavy vegetables.

"You can't be serious, you're going to carry her?" Link laughed, holding his stomach tightly as he doubled over with the effort, "Are you sick? That is _way_ too nice of you."

"Hey! I'm a good guy at heart!"

"If you say so." But the blond continued to laugh, hand touching his lips to hide his smile. Growling, the shadow turned and began to walk back the way they'd come, cheeks flushed as laughter escaped his lighter counterpart.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh while you can. You won't be laughing the next time I get my hands on you."

With one final chuckle, Link replied cheekily, "I would surely hope not."

Finding their way back out of the maze was much easier than it had been finding their way in. With the grass trampled down and their soggy footprints easily visible, they quickly made their way back to the entrance, where the monkey sat waiting for them. Eyes lighting up once their came into view, it cackled at them and turned, running back down the path.

As it had before, it came back, looking to see if they were following, and they did so, figuring that, as it had gotten them that far, they might as well.

It led them around a different path this time, taking them through the thick, towering hedges and ferns to a small body of water. Lapping at their feet, it stretched out for miles, growing deeper and deeper as it went, disappearing from sight to wrap around the trees. Smack dab in the middle of it all was a house suspended on a large platform, a single ladder thrown up against it.

The monkey climbed the ladder in seconds, then scrambled up the side of the house as well, positioning itself on the roof so it could watch what the trio did.

"Well, I guess the only way to go is up." Link said, sloshing through the water to climb the ladder as well. Dark went slowly, eying the water with distaste. A sick, purple hue had taken to it, and Dark wasn't exactly keen to walking through it. Instead, he leapt over onto the platform, then clambered up the ladder carefully, trying to to jostle the woman on his back too much.

Not because he cared. But because he didn't want to slide back to the bottom and retrieve her if she fell. Troublesome old cow.

He chuckled to himself, garnering an odd look from Link once he'd made it to the top.

Holding his arms out to take the elderly woman from Dark, Link asked him, "What's so funny? Did you see something?"

Gladly handing her over, Dark shook his head, "It was nothing. Anyway, are we sure this is the place?" Tipping his head back, he could see a sign covered in odd symbols and letters, but found that he couldn't read a single word of it. "Weird writing." He mumbled, running a finger over it.

"I guess all we can do is go inside and see if anyone there can help us. Who knows, maybe the monkey really _did_ lead us to the right place."

With the woman's arm secured around Link's neck, Dark rapped on the door. From inside, there was no reply, just the clunk and clatter of someone moving quickly. He turned to Link, who shrugged, "I guess we could just go inside?"

So, without waiting, he pushed the door open, holding it so Link could wobble in as well.

Aromas they had never smelled before met them, deep and thick and rich, some pleasant and some not. It was an earthy looking shop, shelves lining the wall, mushrooms and herbs and items of all kinds sitting upon them. A fire crackled in the corner, and a gasp from the back of the room caught their attention, "Koume?"

A woman just as old and terrible as the one slung over Link's shoulder bustled over, robes flowing behind her. Decrepit old hands reaching, she pulled the woman away, settling themselves in the floor, hands fanning a face that was slack with unconsciousness.

"I'm guessing you know each other?" Dark said, seating himself on the floor beside them to rest his legs. Self-consciously, Link sat beside him him, concern clear on his face, "Can you help her?"

"This is my sister, Koume. My name is Kotake. And yes, of course I can help her. I run a potion shop, you fool."

Blushing, Link noted that, yes, the room _did_ smell like potions and medicine.

"Go to the back and fill a jar with some red potion, then bring it to me. That should fix her up."

Link went to retrieve the item, Dark staying behind to stare at the wall in boredom. They'd been in the old hag's shop for only a minute and already he was bored, wishing they could get a move on. Though, a move on to where? Was the monkey going to be leading them all over the swamp? Did it know where and what they needed to do?

Of course not, he groused. Monkeys were just animals, what would they know?

He watched as Link bent to dip an empty jar into the basin of red potion, appreciating the way the man's tunic rode up, the way his breeches hugged his ass...

Yeah, he couldn't wait to get out of this place.

When the blond finally returned, Kotake snatched the jar from him and practically forced it down Koume's throat, grumbling a mishmash of words that sounded more like a firm reprimanding than a plea for her sister to awaken. True to her word, the woman's eyes flickered in moments, eyes opening to stare groggily at them all, "How did I get here?"

"It's alright sister, it's alright. C'mon, up you go, you silly old bat."

"But where are we? How did I get here?" She caught sight of the two warriors, spluttered, "Who are they?" and was then led promptly from the room.

There was a crash and some swears, either one of them swearing and fighting one another in the other room. Link coughed, "I don't think they'll be coming back anytime soon. We should go."

"Without a reward?" Dark groaned, "What are we, a volunteer service? Because I think we're seriously lacking in the rewards department lately."

"I'll give you a reward."

Ears perking, Dark turned slowly, unsure on whether or not he'd heard the blond right. But Link was gone, the heel of his boot disappearing through the door just as Dark's eyes fell upon it. With a final glance over his shoulder to assure himself the bats weren't going to follow, he ran for the door, reaching it just as Link began to descend the ladder.

"You'll have to run a little faster if you want to catch me!"

Completely forgetting the monkey crowing at them from above, Dark skipped the stairs and leapt, colliding noisily with the platform below. Blinking dumbly, Link made it to the bottom of the ladder and stared awkwardly, "That's cheating."

"If you didn't want me to cheat you shouldn't have tempted me so much." Advancing, Dark nearly caught the blond man in his arms, but at the last moment his Hero jumped, pointing at something in the distance, "Look! It's Skullkid!"

And, completely forgetting that it was the very same tactic Tatl had used to fool them earlier, Dark turned, sword unsheathed, ready to cut the imp down.

Nothing, and no one, was there.

"Well, shit." Dark hissed, the sound of retreating footsteps telling him that, if and when he turned, Link would no longer be there. "And he thinks _I'm_ the cheater."

Taking off down the swampy muck path, Link's fresh footprints guiding him, he caught sight of the man's forest green tunic whipping around a bend in the path. Knowing he was getting closer spurred him on, a smirk crawling over his features as he picked up the pace.

When a Deku Baba practically exploded from the muck, flinging water and debris in a sickly wave, Dark's sword went flying, the man flipping easily in the air, slicing through plant matter effortlessly. He didn't even turn to see if it went down, just continued running as he sheathed his sword, knowing that if Link got away, his reward was as good as gone.

Continuing, he passed giant trees, foggy water and a sun-bathing group of turtles that looked up only long enough to croak a gurgled sound. There was no sign of Link save for the path he left, but Dark could tell they were getting further and further apart. The footprints were filling with water, disappearing slowly. He sighed, a bit disappointed in himself for being so easy to fool, then dashed off again, feet sending up a spray of water behind him. The faster he ran, however, the farther Link seemed to get ahead of him. It made no sense, and after awhile, all he wanted to do was shout for the man to get his ass back. In a way, he almost expected to find the blond's body in a crumpled heap somewhere in the maze of trees and plants.

What he wasn't expecting, however, was for the blond to ambush him.

"Got you." Link whispered, pinning the man to the spongy earth. "You were too slow. What, you don't want a reward?"

"What can I say? You got away from me." Sneering, he lunged upwards, hands grasping Link's arms to flip him over, taking his rightful place atop those bony hips, "But I've got you now. Now..." Leaning down, forehead to forehead, Dark whispered, "what kind of prize did you have in mind?"

"I dunno."

"Uh?"

"Well, I haven't really thought past the part where I ambush you. I didn't put much thought into this in the first place, actually."

"I see..." Staring thoughtfully at the path they'd gone down, and then at the leafy sky above them he said, "Well, it doesn't look like Tatl is coming back anytime soon. We might as well take advantage of that."

Lips latching onto Link's neck, Dark pinned the man with his hips, scraping and sucking at the exposed column of flesh. Arms wrapped around the shadows neck, pulling him closer, fingers tangling loosely in charcoal hair, pulling and yanking ever so slightly.

Cool hands cupping Link's face, Dark brought their lips together, a kiss so soft and sweet that had them sighing, heads tilting to go deeper, harder. Link could feel the water seeping through the back of his tunic, knew that when he stood there would be a dark shadow of dampness crawling up his backside. So he broke the kiss, murmured something about finding a drier place, and Dark had him up and over his shoulder in a heartbeat.

It didn't matter where, as long as it wasn't the swampy, damp grass that they'd been tromping over for the last few hours. Finding something that wasn't relatively wet was another story though, and after awhile, Dark gave up.

"You're going to be taking your clothes off anyway, why does it matter?"

"Because, you moron," Link growled, smacking wandering hands away from his ass, "the grass is cold."

"Then I'll hold you?"

"No!" Blushing furiously, Link was glad the man couldn't see his flustered expression. But Dark was laughing regardless, patting the back of Link's thigh as he continued to walk, "Alright, alright, I'll find us a place, just hold on."

After a twenty minute search, however, their options were still a staggering zero. Dark had traipsed up and down every path possible, considered taking his Hero against a tree, and contemplated storming the old Hags' shop, throwing them both out to take advantage of the warm, dry house.

But after suggesting his sordid plan with Link, he'd earned a smack to the ass and an earful that _still_ had his eardrums ringing.

Eventually, Dark threw Link down upon the driest patch of grass he could find, face set sternly. Staring up at him, the blond cocked an eyebrow, "What are you doing? This isn't any better than the first spot!"

Dark threw his hands up in exasperation, "I can't wait anymore!"

"But it's still cold!"

"Then I'll warm you up," Dark growled, pouncing upon the smaller man. He had Link's tunic off in minutes, practically wrestling the blond from the fabric. Boots were kicked off, skin met in a need for warmth, lips moving easily together. Practically wrapping himself around Dark, Link stroked his fingers down the other man's back as the shadow massaged his chest and thighs, alternating between the two as he sucked on the lobe of Link's ear.

With the scent of the swamp muddling his thoughts, and the feel of Dark's impossibly cold skin, Link felt himself growing cold as well. All he could do was press closer, hands trailing down the other man to massage sharp hipbones, mouth open in a moan that Dark immediately sought out, muffling with a rough, eager kiss.

The ebony-haired man let his hands wander downwards, mouth occupying the blond to keep him busy whilst his hands wrapped around an especially eager part of the man's anatomy.

Link's head turned, a flush blossoming across his cheeks to travel down his body, eyes closing with a flutter to avoid the other man's searching crimson eyes.

He could feel warm breath on his neck, a gentle kiss following it and a whisper that sent chills down his spine, "I love you."

They had established long ago that their relationship from the time that shouldn't have been was one to be carried over. It wasn't something that had died in the years that they had grown up together. Because in those years, it had only grown stronger. Until the present point, however, they had yet to venture past kissing, past desperate, awkward groping and cuddling. But now, in this swamp, of all places, they had wordlessly decided that those were the days of the past.

"I love you, too." Link replied, turning his head back to meet Dark's kiss, back arching with the sudden warmth in them. A curling, bestial need was twisting in his stomach, reaching out for the other man, urging him into the same frenzied state. Their hands were faster, more desperate, sighs and whispers filling the quiet space between them.

The swamp lay quiet.

Dark's fingers probed deftly, meeting a place so warm and modest that Link could not keep his gaze upon the other man. A gesture so sweet and somehow innocent; the closing of his eyes as he whispered the other man's name.

It all seemed to pass in a matter of seconds, the painful push and pull of muscle unused to prying. Sweat rolling down their backs, heartbeats so loud they wondered if the entirety of the swamp could hear them.

And as Dark finally, finally hit his limit, he made to deflower his Hero for the second time, the other man's cries nearly begging him to do so, a third voice chipped in, more a scream than the whispers they had come to be so accustomed to.

"What are you two doing?"

And as one the two warriors swore, "Dammit Tatl!"

* * *

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And if you've got the time, check out my new story: The Lament of Dusk


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